THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 
COMMODORE  BYRON  MCCANDLESS 


NATIONAL  PORTRAIT  GALLERY. 


s. 


\ 


j 


[WASHINGTON 


THE 


NATIONAL 

PORTRAIT    GALLERY 


DISTINGUISHED  AMERICANS. 


CONDUCTED  BY 


JAMES  B.  LONG  ACRE,  PHILADELPHIA;  AND  JAMES  HERRING,  NEW  YORK: 


Under  the  Superintendence  of  the  American  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts. 


VOLUME    IV. 


1  These  are  deeds  which  should  not  pass  away, 
And  names  that  must  not  wither,  though  the  earth 
Forgets  her  empires  with  a  just  decay, 
The  enslavers  and  the  enslaved,  their  death  and  birth." 


PHILADELPHIA,   JAMES    B.  LONGACRE. 
NEW   YORK,   JAMES   HERRING. 

1839. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1839,  by  JAKES  B.  LONG  ACRE,  in  the  Office  of  the  Clerk 
of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


176 

H43.n. 

v.4 


ADDRESS. 


THE  fourth  volume  of  the  National  Portrait  Gallery  of  Distinguished  Americans  is 
brought  to  a  close,  under  circumstances  materially  different  from  those  which  pre- 
ceded it.  It  might  reasonably  have  been  expected,  that  the  concluding  volume  of 
the  series  would  have  appeared  much  earlier  after  the  publication  of  the  third ;  to 
those,  however,  who  are  aware  of  the  peculiar  depression  experienced  by  the  pub- 
lishing interest  during  the  commercial  embarrassments  which  have  borne  so  heavily 
on  our  country  for  the  last  two  years,  it  cannot  be  matter  of  great  surprise  to  learn 
that  the  publishers  of  this  work  have  shared  in  the  general  calamity,  and  that  in 
consequence  two  years  have  passed  without  presenting  the  date  of  either  upon  the 
fourth  volume.  Without  farther  preface,  it  is  sufficient  to  state,  that  the  derange- 
ment and  uncertainty  of  the  fiscal  exchanges  throughout  the  union,  rendered  the 
postponement  of  the  publication  a  measure  not  only  of  prudence  but  of  necessity. 

It  is  satisfactory,  however,  to  know  that  the  value  of  the  materials  contained  in 
the  volume  now  presented  to  the  patrons  of  the  work,  is  in  no  respect  diminished 
by  the  delay.  The  interest  that  must  attach  to  the  subjects  embraced  in  its  pages 
can  hardly  be  affected  by  the  lapse  of  time ;  nor  has  the  execution  of  the  work 
suffered  by  the  length  of  time  allowed  for  its  completion :  the  greatest  disadvan- 
tage is  that  which  the  proprietors  and  conductors  of  the  work  have  experienced,  by 
being  prevented  from  realizing  any  advantage  from  the  subscriptions  while  the 
publication  was  retarded. 

As  this  volume  must  close  our  labors  for  the  present,  some  reference  to  the  pro- 
gress and  purpose  of  the  work  seems  to  be  required  by  the  occasion. 

The  materials,  both  pictoral  and  literary,  that  have  been  collected  and  arranged 
in  the  volumes  now  before  the  public,  have  been  obtained  at  a  cost  of  labor,  time, 
and  money,  very  far  surpassing  any  calculation  that  could  have  been  made  at  the 
inception  of  the  work.  Although  it  was  obvious  that  resort  must  be  had  to  remote 
parts  of  the  country  for  the  pictures  and  essential  documents  required,  yet  the  diffi- 
culty of  tracing  and  obtaining  them  has,  in  very  many  instances,  greatly  exceeded 
the  anticipations  of  the  conductors.  There  being  in  our  country  no  central  reposi- 
tory for  the  preservation  of  the  Portraits,  or  the  important  papers  relating  to  the 
most  distinguished  individuals,  these  materials,  so  essential  to  our  national  history 
and  honor,  have  frequently  fallen  into  the  hands  of  persons  but  imperfectly  aware 
of  their  value,  and  consequently  indifferent  to  their  preservation. 

To  remedy  as  far  as  possible,  the  disadvantages  of  this  peculiarity  in  the  situa- 
tion of  our  country  and  habits  of  our  people,  the  National  Portrait  Gallery  was 
undertaken.  To  a  very  great  extent  the  object  has  been  accomplished.  The  in- 
valuable relics  of  those  whose  lives  have  most  eminently  contributed  to  the  forma- 


1C2MS5 


ADDRESS. 

tion  of  our  character,  and  proud  distinction  as  a  self-governed  people,  have  in  many 
instances  been  saved  from  destruction  or  wrested  from  oblivion. 

It  cannot  be  expected  that  an  equal  degree  of  excellence  should  mark  the  pictures 
in  such  a  collection ;  but  whatever  inferiority  may  attach  to  any  of  them  as  works 
of  art,  their  value,  as  the  most,  if  not  the  only  authentic  portraits  of  persons  whose 
names  are  enrolled  on  the  brightest  pages  of  our  national  annals,  demands  their 
preservation.  By  far  the  greater  portion  of  the  portraits  require  no  apology  for  the 
artists;  the  specimens  here  perpetuated  by  the  graver,  from  the  pencils  of  Stuart, 
Copley,  Trumbull,  Sully,  Leslie,  Newton,  Inman,  Malbone,  Ingham,  Durand,  &c., 
are  sufficient  to  justify  the  pride  of  every  American  in  the  genius  and  power  of  our 
artists. 

Of  the  accompanying  memoirs  it  may  be  confidently  asserted,  that  allowing  for 
the  limited  space  necessarily  assigned  to  each,  a  more  interesting  and  authentic 
collection  of  biographical  and  historical  facts,  in  relation  to  the  men  of  this  union 
and  their  times,  has  not  before  been  presented  to  the  people.  Every  exertion  has 
been  used  to  secure  the  most  perfect  accuracy,  and  to  enlist  the  services  of  the  most 
accomplished  and  eminent  writers. 

Nor  has  any  expense  been  spared  in  any  department  of  the  undertaking,  which 
the  subject  and  the  circumstances  would  justify.  We  have,  throughout,  endeavored 
to  produce  a  work  which  all  who  are  swayed  by  the  impulses  of  patriotism,  the 
honor,  or  the  arts  of  our  land,  may  regard  not  merely  with  favor,  but  with  exulta- 
tion, as  a  monument  of  national  gratitude  and  the  evidence  of  a  just  appreciation 
of  the  brave,  the  honorable,  and  virtuous  achievements  which  indicate  to  the  world 
the  high  destiny  of  the  republic. 

JAMES  B.  LONGACRE, 
JAMES  HERRING. 
1839. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME  IV. 


Pages. 

JOHN  ADAMS,  Second  President  of  the  United  States,          ....  26 

Abigail  Adams,  Consort  of  John  Adams, 10 

Samuel  Adams,  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  &c 10 

Jonathan  Trumbull,  Governor  of  Connecticut, 10 

John  Rutledge,  Governor  of  South  Carolina, 8 

Henry  Laurens,  President  of  Congress,  &c 6 

Thomas  Sumter,  Brigadier  General  U.  S.  A 10 

Richard  Montgomery,  Major  General  U.  S.  A 6 

Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  Major  General  U.  S.  A 12 

Thomas  Pinckney,  Major  General  U.  S.  A 4 

Oliver  Ellsworth,  Chief  Justice  U.S 8 

Thomas  Mifflin,  Major  General  U.  S.  A.,  and  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,   .  6 

Thomas  McKean,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  &c 10 

Robert  Morris,          .        .        .'•,/*•        .       '.  .'.'.''      .        .".      .  4 

Joseph  Habersham,  Postmaster  General,  &c 4 

Mordecai  Gist,  Brigadier  General  U.  S.  A 4 

George  Rogers  Clarke,  Brigadier  General  U.  S.  A 12 

Simon  Kenton,  Brigadier  General,  &c 8 

Joshua  Barney,  U.  S.  Navy, 8 

Luther  Martin,  Attorney  General  of  the  State  of  Maryland,         ...  8 

Samuel  Chase,  Associate  Justice  U.  S 4 

Abraham  Baldwin,  Senator  U.  S.  from  Georgia, 6 

Robert  R.  Livingston,  Chancellor  of  the  State  of  New  York,    ...  8 

John  Quincy  Adams,  Sixth  President  of  the  United  States,         ...  10 

Louisa  Catherine  Adams,  Consort  of  John  Quincy  Adams,         ...  10 

William  Harris  Crawford,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,         ....  12 

Hugh  Lawson  White,  Senator  U.  S.  from  Tennessee,        ....  8 

John  Randolph, 10 

William  Charles  Cole  Claiborne,  Governor  of  Louisiana, ....  12 

John  McLean,  Associate  Justice  U.  S 8 

Edward  Everett,  Governor  of  Massachusetts, 8 

Thomas  Say,  Naturalist, 10 

Nathaniel  Bowditch,  LL.D.,  F.R.S 8 

Philip  Syng  Physick,  M.D 8 

John  W.  Francis,  M.D 10 

Lydia  Huntley  Sigourney, 8 

-Winfield  Scott,  Major  General  U.S. A 14 

Edmund  Pendleton  Gaines,  Major  General  U.  S.  A 8 

Nicholas  Biddle,  President  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,     ...  19 


JRO3B3SER.T 


ROBERT     R.    LIVINGSTON. 


ROBERT  R.  LIVINGSTON  was  descended  from  a  family  of  historical 
celebrity  in  the  annals  of  Scotland.  Kings,  regents,  and  nobles  appear 
in  the  line  of  his  ancestors,  and  probably  no  individual  ever  emigrated 
to  the  new  world  who  could  boast  more  numerous  or  more  distin- 
guished evidences  of  rank  and  title.  James  Livingston,  in  the  middle 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  was  appointed  regent  of  Scotland  during  the 
minority  of  James  I ;  his  grand-daughter  married  Donald,  king  of  the 
Hebrides,  one  of  whose  descendants  is  celebrated  by  the  immortal  pen 
of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  his  poem,  the  Lord  of  the  Isles. 

The  titles  of  Earl  of  Newburgh,  Earl  of  Linlithgow,  Earl  of  Cal- 
lander,  and  Earl  Livingstone,  given  to  several  distinct  members  of  this 
family,  attest  its  standing  and  importance  in  the  state,  and  add  lustre 
to  the  honors  of  its  name.  Nor  were  they  undistinguished  in  the  early 
literature  of  their  native  country ;  and  the  name  of  Rollock,  of  kindred 
origin,  occurs  at  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century  as  first  principal  of 
the  celebrated  University  of  Edinburgh. 

Lord  Livingstone  was  the  common  ancestor  of  that  branch  of  the 
Livingstons,  which  emigrated  to  this  country  in  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  He  was  hereditary  governor  of  Linlithgow 
castle,  in  which  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  was  born,  and  in  which  she 
was  placed  for  safety  during  the  invasion  of  Scotland  by  the  Duke  of 
Somerset.  His  daughter  was  one  of  the  four  ladies  who  attended  this 
princess  to  France  as  her  companion.  His  great  grandson,  John 
Livingston,  an  eminent,  learned,  and  pious  minister  of  the  Gospel, 
emigrated  to  Rotterdam  in  1663,  the  victim  of  religious  persecution, 
and  was  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Scotland  in  the  negotiations 
which  eventuated  in  a  general  peace,  and  in  the  transfer  of  the  colony 
of  New  York  from  the  states  of  Holland  to  England. 

Robert  Livingston,  his  son,  about  the  period  of  his  father's  death,  in 
1678,  emigrated  to  America;  and  in  1686,  obtained  a  patent  for  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

manor  of  Livingston.  The  banks  of  the  noble  Hudson,  on  which  it  is 
situate,  attest  in  its  ornaments  their  taste  and  opulence.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  convention  at  Albany  in  1689,  which  threw  off,  on  the 
part  of  New  York,  the  oppressive  government  of  James  II.  In  a  visit 
to  England,  he  held  a  conference  with  King  William,  Lord  Chancellor 
Somers,  and  others,  and  prompted  the  enterprise  against  the  pirates 
who  then  infested  various  parts  of  the  American  coast.  The  agent 
employed  to  effect  this  purpose  proved  treacherous  to  the  trust,  and, 
as  is  supposed,  with  the  connivance  of  Robert  Fletcher,  the  governor 
of  the  state.  This  agent  afterwards  became  chief  among  the  pirates, 
and  is  known  in  the  popular  traditions  of  the  country  by  the  name  of 
Captain  Kidd.  The  grandsons  of  Robert  were,  Philip  Livingston, 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  on  the  part  of 
the  state  of  New  York ;  William  Livingston,  governor  of  New  Jersey, 
known  as  a  poet  of  high  order,  and  still  more  estimable  for  his  vigorous 
defence  of  the  civil  and  religious  rights  of  the  colonies  in  council  and 
by  the  pen.  Robert  Livingston's  great-grandsons  were,  John  H. 
Livingston,  the  father  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  America,  and 
president  of  Queen's  college,  New  Jersey ;  Brockholst  Livingston,  late 
one  of  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  court  of  the  United  States;  Edward 
Livingston,  formerly  secretary  of  the  department  of  state ;  and  ROBERT 
R.  LIVINGSTON,  the  subject  of  our  present  memoir.  The  talents  of 
this  highly  gifted  family  have  had  an  ample  field  for  their  display  and 
exertion.  The  colonial  history  of  the  state  of  New  York  records  their 
elevated  standing  in  its  political  affairs,  and  their  noble  resistance  to 
those  measures  of  oppression  which  arrived  at  their  height  during  the 
early  reign  of  George  III,  and  which  resulted  in  the  independent 
sovereignty  of  America. 

Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  was  boni  in  the  city  of  New  York,  in  1747, 
and  was  educated  in  King's,  now  Columbia  college,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1764.  He  entered  upon  the  study  of  the  law  in  1765, 
under  the  direction  of  William  Smith,  the  historian  of  New  York,  at 
that  time  an  eminent  counsellor  of  law,  and  subsequently  chief  justice 
of  Canada.  Shortly  after  having  obtained  his  license  in  that  pro- 
fession, he  was  appointed  recorder  of  his  native  city.  The  trying 
question  of  the  rights  of  the  British  parliament,  in  which  we  were 
unrepresented,  to  impose  exactions  on  our  citizens,  then  first  began  to 
be  agitated ;  and  the  subject  of  our  memoir,  as  well  as  his  illustrious 
father,  were  both  ejected  from  their  official  stations,  the  latter  as  one 
of  the  justices  of  the  court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  for  adherence  to  the 
rights  of  their  countrymen. 


ROBERT   R.  LIVINGSTON. 

In  return  for  royal  persecution,  Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  was  reward- 
ed by  popular  favor  and  the  confidence  of  his  country.  In  the  immor- 
tal congress  of  1776,  Mr.  LIVINGSTON  represented  the  feelings  and 
interests  of  the  people  of  the  state  of  New  York.  In  this  consecrated 
assembly,  his  zeal  and  patriotism  were  universally  acknowledged. 

When,  at  the  recommendation  of  congress,  each  state  proceeded  to 
frame  a  constitution  of  government,  Mr.  LIVINGSTON  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  convention  of  New  York,  and  was  the  chairman  of  the 
committee  who  presented  the  draught  of  that  instrument,  which  was 
subsequently  adopted. 

On  the  formation  of  the  department  of  foreign  affairs,  in  1781,  under 
the  articles  of  confederation,  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  secretary, 
and  served  in  that  capacity  with  great  diligence,  promptness,  and 
impartiality,  until  1783,  when,  on  retiring  from  office,  he  received  the 
thanks  of  congress,  and  an  assurance  of  the  high  sense  they  entertained 
of  the  ability,  zeal,  and  fidelity  with  which  he  had  discharged  the 
important  trusts  reposed  in  him.  The  diplomatic  correspondence 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  which  has  been  published  by  Mr.  Sparks, 
may  be  here  referred  to  as  documentary  testimony  to  his  cabinet 
services  in  our  great  contest. 

Mr.  LIVINGSTON  was  appointed  chancellor  of  the  state  of  New 
York  in  1783,  being  the  first  who  held  that  office  under  the  state 
constitution ;  and  he  continued  in  this  highest  legal  station  in  the  state 
until  his  mission  to  France,  in  1801.  No  published  documents  record 
the  evidences  of  his  laborious  research  and  accurate  discrimination. 
But  we  assert,  on  the  testimony  of  a  most  distinguished  successor  to 
his  office  (Chancellor  Jones),  that  the  august  tribunal,  whose  justice 
he  dispensed,  though  since  covered  with  a  halo  of  glory,  never  boasted 
a  more  prompt,  more  able,  or  more  faithful  officer. 

When  at  length  the  valor  of  our  ancestors  had  borne  them  success- 
fully through  the  revolutionary  contest,  and  redeemed  those  pledges 
which  had  been  offered  on  the  altar  of  their  country,  another  and  a  still 
more  arduous  task  remained.  In  va'in  had  our  patriots  moistened  the 
soil  with  their  blood,  had  our  countrymen  been  left  the  victims  to  their 
own  tormenting  feuds  and  passions.  The  bond  of  union  which  united 
us  during  the  period  that  tried  men's  souls,  was  almost  rent  asunder 
during  the  trials  of  peace.  The  legislature  of  Virginia,  so  early  as  in 
1785,  at  the  instance  of  Mr.  Madison,  who  then  first  gave  presages  of 
his  future  greatness,  had  appointed  commissioners,  with  a  view  to  form 
commercial  regulations  for  the  general  control  of  the  states.  Com- 
missioners from  several  states  met  accordingly  at  Annapolis,  the  fol- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

lowing  year.  From  the  want  of  adequate  powers,  they  separated 
without  effecting  the  object  for  which  they  were  delegated.  In  1787, 
on  the  recommendation  of  the  Massachusetts  delegation,  composed  of 
Francis  Dana  and  Rufus  King,  was  convened,  at  Philadelphia,  that 
memorable  assemblage  of  heroes  and  statesmen,  who  met  to  devise  a 
plan  of  government  which  should  convey  the  blessings  of  liberty  to 
the  latest  generations.  Of  the  plan  of  that  national  compact  which 
now  binds  these  states,  Hamilton  and  Madison  were  the  principal 
authors. 

Of  the  convention  which  assembled  at  Poughkeepsie  in  1788, 
Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  members,  and 
prevailed  in  effecting  its  ratification  by  his  native  state ;  thus  securing 
its  adoption  by  the  United  States.  We  are  now  in  the  full  enjoyment 
of  its  blessings.  May  no  vaulting  ambition  on  the  part  of  our  states- 
men, or  madness  on  the  part  of  our  people,  ever  put  it  in  jeopardy  for 
a  moment.  May  it  never  be  rendered  oppressive  by  too  liberal  a  con- 
struction of  its  powers :  may  it  never  be  nullified  by  metaphysical 
refinement. 

In  April,  1789,  the  city  of  New  York  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the 
most  solemn  ceremonies  recorded  in  the  annals  of  America.  The 
great  Washington  having  conducted,  to  a  successful  issue,  the  mo- 
mentous contest  for  independence,  and  the  sages  of  our  nation  having 
elaborated  a  constitutional  code  of  government,  all  eyes  were  directed 
to  the  illustrious  hero,  whose  wise  and  sagacious  counsels,  no  less  than 
his  valor,  pointed  him  out  as  the  most  competent,  under  Providence, 
to  guide  the  vessel  of  state  in  safety.  When  that  venerated  patriot 
was  about  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  highest  office  known  to 
freemen,  Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  became  the  witness  of  his  solemn 
appeal  to  heaven,  that  the  laws  should  be  faithfully  administered. 

The  appointment  of  Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  to  the  court  of  France, 
was  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  new  administration  of  Jefferson.  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte,  the  youthful  conqueror  of  Italy,  was  at  this  time 
first  consul  of  the  French  republic.  At  his  court,  which  excelled  in 
magnificence  and  splendor  the  most  august  courts  of  Europe,  the 
chancellor  at  once  conciliated  the  good  feelings  of  that  extraordinary 
man  by  the  amenity  of  his  manners,  and  promoted  the  best  interests 
of  his  country  by  persevering  and  enlightened  exertions.  During  the 
short-lived  peace  of  Amiens,  Paris  was  visited  by  the  refined  and  intel- 
ligent from  every  part  of  the  civilized  world ;  and  here  the  chancellor 
found  leisure,  amidst  the  duties  of  official  station,  to  cultivate  those 
ornate  studies,  for  which  that  capital  furnishes  every  facility.  On  the 


ROBERT    R.  LIVINGSTON. 

day  of  a  great  levee,  which  assembled  at  the  Tuilleries,  says  the 
biographer  of  Fox,  the  numerous  representatives  of  nations  and 
strangers  from  every  country,  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  first  consul 
of  France,  now  established  as  the  sole  head  of  the  government,  the 
American  ambassador,  Mr.  LIVINGSTON,  plain  and  simple  in  manners 
and  dress,  represented  his  republic  with  propriety  and  dignity. 

In  that  important  negotiation  with  the  government  of  France,  which 
resulted  in  the  acquisition  of  Louisiana,  Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  was 
the  prominent  and  efficient  agen.  Its  transfer  by  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment to  France,  in  1802,  had  excited  the  most  lively  feelings  of  the 
American  republic.  By  this  unexpected  measure,  they  were  made 
the  neighbors  to  a  power,  which,  under  the  giant  energies  of  the  first 
consul,  threatened,  in  case  of  rupture,  the  very  existence  of  our  repub- 
lic. Immediately  preceding  the  entrance  into  it  of  the  French  author- 
ities, the  Spanish  powers  prohibited  the  inhabitants  of  the  western 
country  the  use  of  New  Orleans  as  a  place  of  deposite  for  their  pro- 
ductions, contrary  to  the  treaty  with  his  Catholic  Majesty.  A  uni- 
versal spirit  of  indignation  animated  the  American  people ;  and  there 
were  not  wanting  those  who  recommended  an  immediate  recourse  to 
arms.  The  discussions  on  this  question  in  the  congress  of  the  United 
States  elicited  debates,  in  which  De  Witt  Clinton  and  Gouverneur 
Morris,  representatives  of  the  state  of  New  York  in  the  American 
senate,  sustained  the  different  views  of  the  rival  parties  of  this  country. 
In  pursuance  of  the  sound  counsels  of  those  who  urged  the  propriety 
of  negotiation  and  peace,  the  executive  of  the  United  States  deputed, 
as  minister  to  the  court  of  France,  the  late  President  Monroe ;  but 
previous  to  his  arrival,  Mr.  LIVINGSTON,  in  an  elaborate  and  interesting 
memoir,  addressed  to  the  French  government,  had  prepared  them  for 
the  cession  of  the  greater  part  of  Louisiana. 

The  result  of  Chancellor  LIVINGSTON'S  efforts  was  prompt  and  suc- 
cessful. On  the  5th  April,  the  first  consul  announced  to  his  bureau 
of  state  his  determination  to  sell  whatever  of  American  territory  he 
had  obtained  from  Spain.  Seven  days  afterwards,  Mr.  Monroe  arrived 
in  Paris,  and  gave  the  consent  of  the  American  government  to  this 
negotiation.  The  menacing  posture  of  affairs  between  France  and 
England  facilitated  the  objects  of  these  arrangements,  and  resulted  in 
the  transfer  of  the  entire  country  to  the  American  republic,  for  a  sum 
less  than  was  adequate  for  the  preparation  of  a  single  campaign. 

By  this  important  treaty,  contrary  to  the  anticipations  of  the  timid 
or  interested,  the  confederacy  of  our  states  was  placed  on  an  invulner- 
able basis  ;  territory  was  added  to  our  country,  nearly  equal  in  extent 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

to  that  of  the  original  states  of  our  union ;  and  the  blessings  of  free 
government  secured  to  millions,  who  had  otherwise  groaned  under  the 
vassalage  of  foreign  dominion.  The  vast  deserts  of  Louisiana  are 
daily  becoming  the  cheerful  residence  of  an  intelligent  and  Christian 
population,  with  American  blood  flowing  in  their  veins,  and  beating 
responsive  to  republican  feelings  ;  and  the  field  of  New  Orleans  is  now 
added  to  those  of  Bunker  Hill,  Stillwater,  and  Chippeway,  as  trophies 
of  American  valor  and  patriotism. 

After  the  signing  of  this  eventful  treaty,  the  three  ministers  arose, 
says  one  of  them  (the  Count  Marbois),  when  Mr.  LIVINGSTON,  express- 
ing the  general  satisfaction,  said,  with  prophetic  sagacity,  "  We  have 
lived  long,  but  this  is  the  noblest  work  of  our  whole  lives.  The  treaty 
which  we  have  just  signed  has  not  been  obtained  by  art,  or  dictated  by 
force ;  equally  advantageous  to  the  two  contracting  parties,  it  will 
change  vast  solitudes  into  flourishing  districts.  From  this  day,  the 
United  States  take  their  place  among  the  powers  of  the  first  rank ;  the 
English  lose  all  exclusive  influence  in  the  affairs  of  America.  Thus 
one  of  the  principal  causes  of  European  rivalries  and  animosities  is 
about  to  cease.  The  United  States  will  reestablish  the  maritime 
rights  of  all  the  world,  which  are  now  usurped  by  a  single  nation. 
These  treaties  will  thus  be  a  guarantee-of  peace  and  concord  among 
commercial  states.  The  instruments  which  we  have  just  signed,  will 
cause  no  tears  to  be  shed ;  they  prepare  ages  of  happiness  for  innu- 
merable generations  of  human  creatures.  The  Mississippi  and  Mis- 
souri will  see  them  succeed  one  another,  and  multiply,  truly  worthy 
of  the  regard  of  Providence,  in  the  bosom  of  equality,  under  just  laws, 
freed  from  the  errors  of  superstition  and  the  scourges  of  bad  govern- 
ment." 

The  consequences  of  this  act  did  not  escape  the  penetration  of  the 
first  consul.  "  This  accession  of  territory,"  said  he,  "  strengthens 
for  ever  the  power  of  the  United  States,  and  I  have  just  given  to  Eng- 
land a  maritime  rival,  that  will  sooner  or  later  humble  her  pride." 

The  official  duties  of  resident  minister  at  Paris  did  not  prevent 
Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  from  bestowing  his  attention  to  those  objects 
of  taste  congenial  to  his  feelings,  and  beneficial  to  his  country.  To 
the  American  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  established  in  New  York,  in 
1801,  he  added  the  excellent  collection  of  busts  and  statues  which  are 
now  the  boast  of  that  institution,  and  was  instrumental  in  procuring, 
from  the  liberality  of  the  first  consul,  its  rich  paintings  and  prints. 
He  continued  through  life  devoted  to  its  interests,  and  was  for  many 
years  its  chief  officer.  To  the  Transactions  of  the  Society  for  the 


ROBERT   R.  LIVINGSTON. 

Promotion  of  Useful  Arts,  established  in  1793,  chiefly  through  his 
exertions,  he  contributed  many  appropriate  papers,  and,  during  his 
residence  abroad,  enriched  our  agriculture  with  the  improvements  of 
French  husbandry. 

The  last  effort  of  his  pen  was  his  paper  on  Agriculture,  written  but 
a  few  days  before  his  fatal  illness.  In  this  spirited  essay,  he  vindicates 
the  climate,  soil,  and  capabilities  of  his  native  country.  He  shows 
the  value  of  horticultural  labor,  and  demonstrates  the  reciprocal  con- 
nections between  agriculture  and  manufactures.  The  inherent  fertility 
and  the  indigenous  resource  of  the  country,  are  the  themes  of  his  admi- 
ration and  eulogy.  He  was  among  the  earliest,  with  Judge  Peters,  to 
employ  gypsum  as  the  means  of  fertilizing  soils  ;  and  the  introduction 
of  clover,  and  a  better  breed  of  domestic  cattle,  attest  his  vigilant  and 
enlightened  zeal. 

One  other  benefit  conferred  on  mankind,  will,  of  itself,  convey  the 
name  of  Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  to  the  remotest  posterity ;  his  coope- 
ration with  Robert  Fulton,  in  effecting  the  successful  application  of 
steam  navigation,  the  most  important  improvement  since  the  invention 
of  printing. 

"  The  connection  between  Livingston  and  Fulton,"  says  the  late 
lamented  Clinton,  "  realized,  to  a  great  degree,  the  vision  of  the  poet. 
All  former  experiments  had  failed,  and  the  genius  of  Fulton,  aided  and 
fostered  by  the  public  spirit  and  discernment  of  LIVINGSTON,  created 
one  of  the  greatest  accommodations  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  These 
illustrious  men  will  be  considered,  through  all  time,  as  the  benefactors 
of  the  world."* 

The  leisure  hours  of  Chancellor  LIVINGSTON  were  devoted  to  every 
variety  of  science,  arts,  and  literature.  The  heroic  authors  of  antiquity, 
Homer  and  Virgil,  Demosthenes  and  Cicero,  were  among  those  which 
contributed  to  improve  his  taste  and  expand  his  thought  and  feeling. 
His  historical  researches  were  various  and  extensive.  All  this  was 
not  effected  without  unremitting  industry.  Every  interval  of  time 
afforded  from  the  duties  and  cares  of  public  life,  was  devoted,  with 
scrupulous  fidelity,  to  add  to  his  stores  of  knowledge.  Like  the 
Chancellor  D'Aguesseau,  in  variety  of  pursuit  he  found  that  relaxation 
which  others  seek  in  pleasure  and  amusement. 

The  style  of  his  oratory  was  chaste  and  classical,  and  of  that  per- 
suasive kind  which  the  father  of  poetry  ascribes  to  Nestor.  All  who 
were  witnesses,  testify  to  the  mute  attention  with  which  he  riveted  his 

*  Clinton's  Discourse  before  the  American  Academy  of  Fine  Arts. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS 

auditors.  But  he  chiefly  delighted  in  the  pathetic,  and  often,  by  his 
appeals  to  the  sympathies  'of  his  hearers,  counteracted  the  most  pow- 
erful prejudices.  His  acknowledged  integrity  and  patriotism  doubtless 
added  force  to  all  he  uttered.  Franklin  termed  him  the  American 
Cicero :  in  him  were  united  all  those  qualities  which,  according  to 
that  illustrious  Roman,  are  necessary  in  the  perfect  orator. 

After  a  life,  every  portion  of  which  was  devoted  to  the  benefit  of  his 
fellow-man,  he  paid  the  last  debt  to  nature,  at  his  seat,  at  Clermont, 
on  the  26th  of  February,  1813. 

Thus  it  appears,  from  this  imperfect  tribute,  that  the  late  Chancellor 
LIVINGSTON  was  an  active  agent  in  the  most  momentous  events  that 
have  influenced  the  destinies  of  mankind.  Of  the  congress  of  1776, 
which  resolved  that  these  states  were  free  and  independent,  he  was  a 
distinguished  member,  and  belonged  to  that  committee  which  framed 
the  declaration  of  our  grievances  and  rights,  —  and  which  will  transmit 
their  names  to  the  latest  posterity ;  of  the  convention  of  New  York 
which  formed  the  constitution  of  that  state — the  best  devised  scheme 
of  polity  then  known  to  the  world  ;  of  a  subsequent  convention,  which 
ratified  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  devised  by  the  wisdom 
of  Hamilton  and  Madison  ;  the  important  actor  in  a  negotiation, 
which  doubled  our  country  in  extent,  and  rendered  it  for  ever  secure 
from  foreign  intrusion  ;  the  coadjutor  in  that  noblest  of  all  improve- 
ments in  mechanics,  by  which  time  and  space  are  annihilated — the 
invention  of  steam  navigation. 

In  Mr.  LIVINGSTON,  to  the  proud  character  of  integrity,  honor,  and 
disinterestedness,  were  added  the  mild,  yet  ennobling  features  of  reli- 
gion. An  inquiring  believer  in  its  truth,  an  exemplar  of  its  gentle 
effects  on  the  character,  he  daily  sought  its  consolations,  and  strength- 
ened his  pious  resolutions  in  the  rich  inheritance  it  promises.  He  was 
devoted  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  from  an  enlightened  pre- 
ference of  its  doctrines  and  discipline,  without  hostile  feelings  to  those 
who  trust  to  other  guides  in  religion  than  Chillingworth  and  Hooker. 

Chancellor  LIVINGSTON,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  in  the  66th 
year  of  his  age.  His  person  was  tall  and  commanding,  and  of  patri- 
cian dignity.  Gentle  and  courteous  in  his  manners,  pure  and  upright 
in  his  morals.  His  benefactions  to  the  poor  were  numerous  and  unos- 
tentatious. In  his  life,  without  reproach ;  victorious  in  death  over  its 
terrors.  J.  W.  F. 


]Hffi 


JOHN    RUTLEDGE. 


"!N  the  friendly  competitions  of  the  states  for  the  comparative 
merits  of  their  respective  statesmen  and  orators,"  says  Dr.  Ramsay, 
(to  whose  sketches  we  are  indebted  for  this  memoir,)  "  while  Massa- 
chusetts boasts  of  her  John  Adams — Connecticut  of  her  Ellsworth — 
New- York  of  her  Jay — Pennsylvania  of  her  Wilson — Delaware  ot 
her  Bayard — Virginia  of  her  Henry — South  Carolina  rests  her  claims 
on  the  talents  and  eloquence  of  JOHN  RUTLEDGE." 

This  eminent  patriot  of  the  Revolution  was  the  son  of  Dr.  John 
Rutledge,  who,  with  his  brother  Andrew,  both  natives  of  Ireland, 
settled  in  Carolina  about  the  year  1735.  Dr.  Rutledge  married  Miss 
Hext,  who  became  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  the  present  memoir 
in  1739  in  the  15th  year  of  her  age.  This  lady  became  a  widow 
at  an  early  period,  and  adds  another  example  to  the  number,  already 
noticed  in  this  work,  of  illustrous  matrons,  who,  by  devotion  to  their 
maternal  duties,  have  been  honored  and  rewarded  in  the  virtues  and 
eminence  of  their  offspring. 

The  early  education  of  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  was  conducted  by  David 
Rhind,  an  excellent  classical  scholar,  and  one  of  the  most  successful 
of  the  early  instructors  of  youth  in  Carolina.  After  he  had  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics,  he  entered  on  the 
study  of  law  with  James  Parsons,  and  was  afterwards  entered  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Temple,  and  proceeding  barrister,  came  out  to  Charleston 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  1761.  One  of  the  first  causes 
in  which  he  engaged  was  an  action  for  breach  of  a  promise  of  mar- 
riage. The  subject  was  interesting,  and  gave  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity for  displaying  his  talents.  It  was  improved,  and  his  eloquence 
astonished  all  who  heard  him. 

Instead  of  rising  by  degrees  to  the  head  of  his  profession,  he  burst 
forth  at  once  the  able  lawyer  and  accomplished  orator.  Business 
flowed  in  upon  him.  He  was  employed  in  the  most  difficult  causes, 
and  retained  with  the  largest  fees  that  were  usually  given.  The 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

client  in  whose  service  he  engaged,  was  supposed  to  be  in  a  fair  way 
of  gaming  his  cause.  He  was  but  a  short  time  in  practice,  when 
that  cloud  began  to  lower,  which,  in  the  course  of  ten  or  twelve  years, 
burst  forth  in  a  revolutionary  storm.  In  the  year  1764  Governor 
Boone  refused  to  administer  to  Christopher  Gadsden  the  oaths  which 
the  law  required  every  person  returned  as  a  member  in  the  com- 
mons house  of  assembly  to  take  before  he  entered  on  his  legislative 
functions.  This  kindled  the  indignation  of  the  house,  as  being  an 
interference  with  their  constitutional  privileges  as  the  sole  judges  of 
the  qualifications  of  their  own  members.  In  rousing  the  assembly 
and  the  people  to  resist  all  interferences  of  the  royal  governors  in 
deciding  who  should,  or  who  should  not  be  members  of  the  commons 
house  of  assembly,  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  kindled  a  spark  which  has 
never  since  been  extinguished. 

This  controversy  was  scarcely  ended  when  the  memorable  Stamp 
Act  was  passed.  The  British  Colonies  were  then  detached  from  each 
other,  and  had  never  acted  in  concert.  A  proposition  was  made  by 
the  assembly  of  Massachusetts  to  the  different  provincial  assemblies 
for  appointing  committees  from  each  to  meet  in  congress  as  a  rally- 
ing point  of  union.  To  this  novel  project  many  objections  were 
made ;  some  doubted  its  legality,  others  its  expedience,  and  most  its 
efficiency.  To  remove  objections,  to  conciliate  opposition,  and  to 
gain  the  hearty  concurrence  of  the  assembly  and  the  people,  was  no 
easy  matter.  In  accomplishing  these  objects,  the  abilities  of  JOHN 
RUTLEDGE  were  successfully  exerted.  Objections  vanished — preju- 
dices gave  way  before  his  eloquence.  The  public  mind  was  illumi- 
nated, and  a  more  correct  mode  of  thinking  took  place.  A  vote  for 
appointing  deputies  to  a  Continental  congress  was  carried  in  South 
Carolina  at  an  early  day,  and  before  it  had  been  agreed  to  by  the 
neighboring  states.  Christopher  Gadsden,  Thomas  Lynch,  and 
JOHN  RUTLEDGE,  were  appointed.  The  last  was  the  youngest,  and 
had  very  lately  began  to  tread  the  threshold  of  manhood.  When 
the  first  congress  met  in  New- York  in  1765,  the  members  of  the  dis- 
tant provinces  were  surprised  at  the  eloquence  of  the  young  member 
from  Carolina.  In  the  means  of  education  that  province  was  far 
behind  those  to  the  northward.  Of  it  little  more  was  known  or  be- 
lieved than  that  it  produced  rice  and  indigo,  and  contained  a  large 
proportion  of  slaves  and  a  handful  of  free  men,  and  that  most  of  the 
latter  were  strangers  to  vigorous  health,  all  self-indulgent,  and  none 
accustomed  to  active  exertions  either  of  mind  or  body.  From  such 
a  province  nothing  great  was  expected.  A  respectable  committee  of 


JOHN  RUTLEDGE. 

its  assembly,  and  the  distinguished  abilities  of  one  of  them  who  was 
among  the  youngest  members  of  the  congress,  produced  at  this  first 
general  meeting  of  the  Colonies  more  favorable  ideas  of  South  Caro- 
lina than  had  hitherto  prevailed. 

After  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  was  for  some 
years  no  further  engaged  in  politics  than  as  a  lawyer  and  a  member 
of  the  provincial  legislature.  In  both  capacities  he  was  admired  as 
a  public  speaker.  His  ideas  were  clear  and  strong — his  utterance 
rapid  but  distinct — his  voice,  action,  and  energetic  manner  of  speak- 
ing, forcibly  impressed  his  sentiments  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  all 
who  heard  him.  At  reply  he  was  quick — instantly  comprehended 
the  force  of  an  objection — and  saw  at  once  the  best  mode  of  weaken- 
ing or  repelling  it.  He  successfully  used  both  argument  and  wit 
for  invalidating  the  observations  of  his  adversary:  by  the  former 
he  destroyed  or  weakened  their  force ;  by  the  latter  he  placed  them 
in  so  ludicrous  a  point  of  light  that  it  often  convinced,  and  scarcely 
ever  failed  of  conciliating  and  pleasing  his  hearers.  Many  were  the 
triumphs  of  his  eloquence  at  the  bar  and  in  the  legislature ;  and  in, 
the  former  case  probably  more  than  strict  impartial  justice  would 
sanction ;  for  judges  and  juries,  counsel  and  audience,  hung  on  his 
accents. 

In  or  after  the  year  1774  a  new  and  more  extensive  field  was  opened 
before  him.  When  news  of  the  Boston  port-bill  reached  Charles- 
ton, a  general  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  was  called  by  expresses 
sent  over  the  state.  After  the  proceedings  of  the  British  parliament 
were  stated  to  this  convention  of  the  province,  sundry  propositions 
were  offered  for  consideration.  To  the  appointment  of  delegates  for 
a  general  congress  no  objection  was  made.  But  this  was  followed 
by  propositions  for  instructing  them  how  far  they  might  go  in  pledg- 
ing the  province  to  support  the  Bostonians.  Such  a  discordance  of 
opinions  was  discovered  as  filled  the  minds  of  the  friends  of  liberty 
with  apprehensions  that  the  meeting  would  prove  abortive.  In  this 
crisis  JOHN  RUTLEDGE,  in  a  most  eloquent  speech,  advocated  a  motion 
which  he  brought  forward  to  give  no  instructions  whatever;  but  to 
invest  the  men  of  their  choice  with  full  authority  to  concur  in  any 
measure  they  thought  best;  and  to  pledge  the  people  of  South  Caro- 
lina to  abide  by  whatever  they  would  agree  to.  He  demonstrated 
that  any  thing  less  than  plenary  discretion  to  this  extent  would  be  un- 
equal to  the  crisis.  To  those  who,  after  stating  the  dangers  of  such 
extensive  powers,  begged  to  be  informed  what  must  be  done  in  case 
the  delegates  made  a  bad  use  of  their  unlimited  authority  to  pledge 


OKHD.'' 


JOHN    RUTLEDGE. 


"!N  the  friendly  competitions  of  the  states  for  the  comparative 
merits  of  their  respective  statesmen  and  orators,"  says  Dr.  Ramsay, 
(to  whose  sketches  we  are  indebted  for  this  memoir,)  "  while  Massa- 
chusetts boasts  of  her  John  Adams — Connecticut  of  her  Ellsworth — 
New- York  of  her  Jay — Pennsylvania  of  her  Wilson — Delaware  ot 
her  Bayard — Virginia  of  her  Henry — South  Carolina  rests  her  claims 
on  the  talents  and  eloquence  of  JOHN  RUTLEDGE." 

This  eminent  patriot  of  the  Revolution  was  the  son  of  Dr.  John 
Rutledge,  who,  with  his  brother  Andrew,  both  natives  of  Ireland, 
settled  in  Carolina  about  the  year  1735.  Dr.  Rutledge  married  Miss 
Hext,  who  became  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  the  present  memoir 
in  1739  in  the  15th  year  of  her  age.  This  lady  became  a  widow 
at  an  early  period,  and  adds  another  example  to  the  number,  already 
noticed  in  this  work,  of  illustrous  matrons,  who,  by  devotion  to  their 
maternal  duties,  have  been  honored  and  rewarded  in  the  virtues  and 
eminence  of  their  offspring. 

The  early  education  of  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  was  conducted  by  David 
Rhind,  an  excellent  classical  scholar,  and  one  of  the  most  successful 
of  the  early  instructors  of  youth  in  Carolina.  After  he  had  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics,  he  entered  on  the 
study  of  law  with  James  Parsons,  and  was  afterwards  entered  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Temple,  and  proceeding  barrister,  came  out  to  Charleston 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  1761.  One  of  the  first  causes 
in  which  he  engaged  was  an  action  for  breach  of  a  promise  of  mar- 
riage. The  subject  was  interesting,  and  gave  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity for  displaying  his  talents.  It  was  improved,  and  his  eloquence 
astonished  all  who  heard  him. 

Instead  of  rising  by  degrees  to  the  head  of  his  profession,  he  burst 
forth  at  once  the  able  lawyer  and  accomplished  orator.  Business 
flowed  in  upon  him.  He  was  employed  in  the  most  difficult  causes, 
and  retained  with  the  largest  fees  that  were  usually  given.  The 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

client  in  whose  service  he  engaged,  was  supposed  to  be  in  a  fair  way 
of  gaining  his  cause.  He  was  but  a  short  time  in  practice,  when 
that  cloud  began  to  lower,  which,  in  the  course  of  ten  or  twelve  years, 
burst  forth  in  a  revolutionary  storm.  In  the  year  1764  Governor 
Boone  refused  to  administer  to  Christopher  Gadsden  the  oaths  which 
the  law  required  every  person  returned  as  a  member  in  the  com- 
mons house  of  assembly  to  take  before  he  entered  on  his  legislative 
functions.  This  kindled  the  indignation  of  the  house,  as  being  an 
interference  with  their  constitutional  privileges  as  the  sole  judges  of 
the  qualifications  of  their  own  members.  In  rousing  the  assembly 
and  the  people  to  resist  all  interferences  of  the  royal  governors  in 
deciding  who  should,  or  who  should  not  be  members  of  the  commons 
house  of  assembly,  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  kindled  a  spark  which  has 
never  since  been  extinguished. 

This  controversy  was  scarcely  ended  when  the  memorable  Stamp 
Act  was  passed.  The  British  Colonies  were  then  detached  from  each 
other,  and  had  never  acted  in  concert.  A  proposition  was  made  by 
the  assembly  of  Massachusetts  to  the  different  provincial  assemblies 
for  appointing  committees  from  each  to  meet  in  congress  as  a  rally- 
ing point  of  union.  To  this  novel  project  many  objections  were 
made ;  some  doubted  its  legality,  others  its  expedience,  and  most  its 
efficiency.  To  remove  objections,  to  conciliate  opposition,  and  to 
gain  the  hearty  concurrence  of  the  assembly  and  the  people,  was  no 
easy  matter.  In  accomplishing  these  objects,  the  abilities  of  JOHN 
RUTLEDGE  were  successfully  exerted.  Objections  vanished — preju- 
dices gave  way  before  his  eloquence.  The  public  mind  was  illumi- 
nated, and  a  more  correct  mode  of  thinking  took  place.  A  vote  for 
appointing  deputies  to  a  Continental  congress  was  carried  in  South 
Carolina  at  an  early  day,  and  before  it  had  been  agreed  to  by  the 
neighboring  states.  Christopher  Gadsden,  Thomas  Lynch,  and 
JOHN  RUTLEDGE,  were  appointed.  The  last  was  the  youngest,  and 
had  very  lately  began  to  tread  the  threshold  of  manhood.  When 
the  first  congress  met  in  New- York  in  1765,  the  members  of  the  dis- 
tant provinces  were  surprised  at  the  eloquence  of  the  young  member 
from  Carolina.  In  the  means  of  education  that  province  was  far 
behind  those  to  the  northward.  Of  it  little  more  was  known  or  be- 
lieved than  that  it  produced  rice  and  indigo,  and  contained  a  large 
proportion  of  slaves  and  a  handful  of  free  men,  and  that  most  of  the 
latter  were  strangers  to  vigorous  health,  all  self-indulgent,  and  none 
accustomed  to  active  exertions  either  of  mind  or  body.  From  such 
a  province  nothing  great  was  expected.  A  respectable  committee  of 


JOHN  RUTLEDGE. 

its  assembly,  and  the  distinguished  abilities  of  one  of  them  who  was 
among  the  youngest  members  of  the  congress,  produced  at  this  first 
general  meeting  of  the  Colonies  more  favorable  ideas  of  South  Caro- 
lina than  had  hitherto  prevailed. 

After  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  was  for  some 
years  no  further  engaged  in  politics  than  as  a  lawyer  and  a  member 
of  the  provincial  legislature.  In  both  capacities  he  was  admired  as 
a  public  speaker.  His  ideas  were  clear  and  strong — his  utterance 
rapid  but  distinct — his  voice,  action,  and  energetic  manner  of  speak- 
ing, forcibly  impressed  his  sentiments  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  all 
who  heard  him.  At  reply  he  was  quick — instantly  comprehended 
the  force  of  an  objection — and  saw  at  once  the  best  mode  of  weaken- 
ing or  repelling  it.  He  successfully  used  both  argument  and  wit 
for  invalidating  the  observations  of  his  adversary:  by  the  former 
he  destroyed  or  weakened  their  force ;  by  the  latter  he  placed  them 
in  so  ludicrous  a  point  of  light  that  it  often  convinced,  and  scarcely 
ever  failed  of  conciliating  and  pleasing  his  hearers.  Many  were  the 
triumphs  of  his  eloquence  at  the  bar  and  in  the  legislature ;  and  in 
the  former  case  probably  more  than  strict  impartial  justice  would 
sanction ;  for  judges  and  juries,  counsel  and  audience,  hung  on  his 
accents. 

In  or  after  the  year  1774  a  new  and  more  extensive  field  was  opened 
before  him.  When  news  of  the  Boston  port-bill  reached  Charles- 
ton, a  general  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  was  called  by  expresses 
sent  over  the  state.  After  the  proceedings  of  the  British  parliament 
were  stated  to  this  convention  of  the  province,  sundry  propositions 
were  offered  for  consideration.  To  the  appointment  of  delegates  for 
a  general  congress  no  objection  was  made.  But  this  was  followed 
by  propositions  for  instructing  them  how  far  they  might  go  in  pledg- 
ing the  province  to  support  the  Bostonians.  Such  a  discordance  of 
opinions  was  discovered  as  filled  the  minds  of  the  friends  of  liberty 
with  apprehensions  that  the  meeting  would  prove  abortive.  In  this 
crisis  JOHN  RUTLEDGE,  in  a  most  eloquent  speech,  advocated  a  motion 
which  he  brought  forward  to  give  no  instructions  whatever;  but  to 
invest  the  men  of  their  choice  with  full  authority  to  concur  in  any 
measure  they  thought  best;  and  to  pledge  the  people  of  South  Caro- 
lina to  abide  by  whatever  they  would  agree  to.  He  demonstrated 
that  any  thing  less  than  plenary  discretion  to  this  extent  would  be  un- 
equal to  the  crisis.  To  those  who,  after  stating  the  dangers  of  such 
extensive  powers,  begged  to  be  informed  what  must  be  done  in  case 
the  delegates  made  a  bad  use  of  their  unlimited  authority  to  pledge 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  state  to  any  extent,  a  laconic  answer  was  returned :  "  Hang  them." 
An  impression  was  made  on  the  multitude.  Their  minds  were  sub- 
dued by  the  decision  of  the  proposed  measure,  and  the  energy  with 
which  it  was  supported.  On  that  day  and  by  this  vote  the  Revolu- 
tion was  virtually  accomplished.  By  it  the  people  of  Carolina  deter- 
mined to  be  free,  deliberately  invested  five  men  of  their  choice  as  their 
representatives  with  full  powers  to  act  for  them  and  to  take  charge  of 
their  political  interests.  Royal  government  received  a  mortal  wound, 
and  the  representative  system  was  planted  in  its  stead.  The  former 
lingered  for  a  few  months  and  then  expired.  The  latter  instantly 
took  root,  and  has  ever  since  continued  to  grow  and  flourish.  An 
election  immediately  followed.  The  mover  of  this  spirited  resolution, 
his  brother  Edward  Rutledge,  Christopher  Gadsden,  Thomas  Lynch, 
and  Henry  Middleton,  were  elected.  Furnished  with  such  ample 
powers,  they  took  their  seats  in  congress  under  great  advantages,  and 
by  their  conduct  justified  the  confidence  reposed  in  them.  JOHN 
RUTLEDGE  was  continued  by  successive  elections  a  member  of  con- 
gress till  the  year  1776.  He  returned  to  Charleston  in  the  beginning 
of  that  year,  and  was  elected  president  and  commander-in-chief  of 
Carolina,  in  conformity  to  a  constitution  established  by  the  people,  on 
the  26th  of  March  1776.  His  duties  henceforward  were  executive. 
He  employed  himself  diligently  in  arranging  the  new  government, 
and  particularly  in  preparing  for  the  defence  of  the  state  against  an 
expected  invasion  by  the  British.  Their  attack  on  Sullivan's  Island 
has  been  already  related.*  On  this  occasion  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  ren- 
dered his  country  important  service.  General  Lee,  who  commanded 
the  Continental  troops,  pronounced  Sullivan's  Island  to  be  a  "  slaugh- 
ter pen,"  and  either  gave  orders  or  was  disposed  to  give  orders  for  its 
evacuation.  The  zeal  of  the  state,  and  the  energy  of  its  chief  magis- 
trate, prevented  this  measure.  Carolina  had  raised  troops  before  con- 
gress had  declared  independence.  These  remained  subject  to  the 
authority  of  the  state,  and  were  at  this  early  period  not  immediately 
under  the  command  of  the  officers  of  congress.  To  prevent  the  evacua- 
tion of  the  fort  on  Sullivan's  Island,  JOHN  RUTLEDGE,  shortly  before 
the  commencement  of  the  action  on  the  28th  of  June,  1776,  wrote  the 
following  laconic  note  to  General  Moultrie,  who  commanded  on  the 
island.  "  General  Lee  wishes  you  to  evacuate  the  fort.  You  will 
not  without  an  order  from  me.  I  would  sooner  cut  off  my  hand  than 
write  one.  J.  RUTLEDGE." 


*  In  the  biography  of  General  Moultrie,  in  the  first  volume  of  this  work. 

4 


JOHN  RUTLEDGE. 

The  consequences  which  would  probably  have  followed  from  the 
evacuation  of  the  fort,  may  in  some  measure  be  conjectured  from  the 
events  of  1780 ;  when  the  British,  grown  wiser,  passed  the  same  fort 
without  engaging  it. 

JOHN  RUTLEDGE  continued  in  the  office  of  president  till  March 
1778,  when  he  resigned.  The  occasion  and  reasons  of  his  resigna- 
tion are  matters  of  general  history.  This  did  not  diminish  his  popu- 
larity. Of  this  the  legislature  gave  the  strongest  proof;  for  the  next 
election  he  was  reinstated  in  the  executive  authority  of  the  state, 
but  under  a  new  constitution,  and  with  the  name  of  Governor  sub- 
stituted in  the  place  of  President.  He  had  scarcely  entered  on  the 
duties  of  this  office,  when  the  country  was  invaded  by  the  British 
General  Prevost.  Governor  RUTLEDGE  made  great  exertions  to 
repel  this  invasion — to  defend  Charleston  in  the  years  1779,  1780 
— to  procure  the  aid  of  congress  and  of  the  adjacent  states — to  drive 
back  the  tide  of  British  conquest — to  recover  the  state,  and  to  revive 
its  suspended  legislative  and  judicial  powers.  On  the  close  of  his 
executive  duties  in  1782,  he  was  elected  and  served  as  a  member  of 
congress  till  L783.  In  this  period  he  was  called  upon  to  perform  an 
extraordinary  duty.  The  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis  in  October, 
1781,  seemed  to  paralyze  the  exertions  of  the  states.  Thinking  the 
war  and  all  danger  to  be  over,  they  no  longer  acted  with  suitable 
vigor.  Congress,  fearing  that  this  languor  would  encourage  Great 
Britain  to  re-commence  the  war,  sent  deputations  of  their  members 
to  rouse  the  states  to  a  sense  of  their  danger  and  duty.  On  the  22d 
of  May,  1782,  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  and  George  Clymer  were  sent  in 
this  character,  and  instructed  "  to  make  such  representation  to  the 
several  states  southward  of  Philadelphia  as  were  best  adapted  to  their 
respective  circumstances  and  the  present  situation  of  public  affairs, 
and  as  might  induce  them  to  carry  the  requisitions  of  congress  into 
effect  with"  the  greatest  dispatch."  They  were  permitted  to  make  a 
personal  address  to  the  Virginia  assembly.  In  the  execution  of  this 
duty,  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  drew  such  a  picture  of  the  United  States,  and 
of  the  danger  to  which  they  were  exposed  by  the  backwardness  of 
the  particular  states  to  comply  with  the  requisitions  of  congress,  as 
produced  a  very  happy  effect.  The  addresser  acquitted  himself  with 
so  much  ability  that  the  Virginians,  who,  not  without  reason,  are 
proud  of  their  statesmen  and  orators,  began  to  doubt  whether  their 
Patrick  Henry  or  the  Carolina  RUTLEDGE  was  the  most  accomplished 
public  speaker.  Soon  after  the  termination  of  Mr.  RUTLEDGE'S  con- 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

gressional  duties,  he  was  appointed  minister  plenipotentiary  from  the 
United  States  to  Holland,  but  declined  serving. 

In  the  year  1784  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  court  of  Chancery 
in  South  Carolina.  The  events  of  the  late  war  had  greatly  increased 
the  necessity  for  such  a  court.  JOHN  RUTLEDGE  draughted  the  bill  for 
organizing  it  on  a  new  plan,  and  in  it  introduced  several  provisions, 
which  have  been  very  highly  commended  as  improvements  on  the 
English  court  of  the  same  name.  Mr.  RUTLEDGE'S  public  duties 
hitherto  had  been  either  legislative  or  executive.  They  were  hence- 
forward judicial.  If  comparisons  were  proper,  it  might  be  added  that 
he  was  most  at  home  in  the  latter.  His  knowledge  of  the  law  was 
profound  ;  but  the  talent  which  pre-eminently  fitted  him  for  dispens- 
ing justice  was  a  comprehensive  mind,  which  could  at  once  take  into 
view  all  the  bearings  and  relations  of  a  complicated  case.  "When  the 
facts  were  all  fairly  before  him,  he  promptly  knew  what  justice  re- 
quired. The  pleadings  of  lawyers  gratified  their  clients,  but  rarely 
cast  any  light  on  the  subject  which  had  not  already  presented  itself 
to  his  own  view.  Their  declamations  and  addresses  to  the  passions 
were  lost  on  him.  Truth  and  justice  were  the  pole-stars  by  which 
his  decisions  were  regulated.  He  speedily  resolved  the  most  intri- 
cate cases,  pursued  general  principles  through  their  various  modifi- 
cations till  they  led  to  the  fountain  of  justice.  His  decrees  were  so 
luminous,  and  the  grounds  of  them  so  clearly  expressed,  that  the  de- 
feated party  was  generally  satisfied. 

In  the  year  1787  he  was  called  upon  to  assist  in  framing  a  national 
constitution  in  lieu  of  the  advisory  system  of  the  confederation.  In 
arranging  the  provisions  of  that  bond  of  union,  and  in  persuading 
his  countrymen  to  accept  it,  he  was  eminently  useful.  As  soon  as  it 
was  in  operation,  he  was  designated  by  President  Washington  as  an 
associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  court  of  the  United  States.  In 
this  office  he  served  till  1791,  when  he  was  elected  chief^ustice  of 
South  Carolina.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  chief  justice  of  the^ 
United  States.  Thus  for  more  than  thirty  years,  with  few  and  short 
intervals,  he  served  his  country  in  one  or  other  of  the  departments 
of  government ;  and  in  all  with  fidelity  and  ability.  This  illustrious 
man  closed  his  variegated  career  in  the  year  1800. 


LUTHER    MARTIN. 


LUTHER  MARTIN,  a  lawyer,  distinguished  alike  for  his  eccentric 
habits,  his  powerful  genius,  and  his  vast  legal  acquirements,  was 
born  in  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  in  the  year  1744.  His  ancestors 
were  natives  of  England.  Two  of  their  descendants,  who  were  bro- 
thers, removed  from  New  England,  and  established  their  residence  in 
that  section  of  the  country  adjoining  the  river  Rariton,  upon  the  east 
of  New  Brunswick,  calling  the  township  in  which  they  had  located 
Piscataqua,  from  the  name  of  the  town  whence  they  emigrated. 
They  were  by  occupation  farmers,  and  having  obtained  large  grants 
of  land  in  New  Jersey,  removed  their  domestic  establishment  there 
when  a  greater  part  of  the  Colonial  domain  was  a  dense  wilderness. 

LUTHER  was  the  third  of  nine  children,  and  his  time  was  generally 
divided,  during  his  early  boyhood,  between  the  duties  of  his  father's 
family  and  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  In  1757,  in  the  month  of 
August,  he  was  sent  to  a  grammar  school,  where  he  learned  the  ru- 
diments of  the  Latin  language;  and  in  September,  five  years  after,  he 
was  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall,  Princeton,  in  a  class  of  thirty-five, 
with  the  highest  collegiate  honors.  At  that  institution  he  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  subsequent  greatness,  and  with  his  other  classical 
exercises  pursued  the  study  of  the  French  and  Hebrew  languages. 

Among  his  friends  and  associates  in  Princeton  were  J.  Habersham, 
Esq.,  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Clagget  of  Maryland,  the  celebrated 
Pierpoint  Edwards,  and  Oliver  Ellsworth.  His  parents,  however, 
were  indigent,  and  they  were  enabled,  consequently,  to  bestow  upon 
this  son  a  liberal  education  only ;  "  a  patrimony,"  he  remarks,  "  for 
which  my  heart  beats  toward  them  a  more  grateful  remembrance 
than  had  they  bestowed  upon  me  the  gold  of  Peru  or  the  gems 
of  Golconda."  *  As  an  equivalent  for  the  additional  labor  which 


Modern  Ingratitude,  in  five  numbers,  by  Luther  Martin,  Esq.  of  Maryland,    p.  134. 

i 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

his  two  elder  brothers  had  undergone  for  the  support  of  his  father's 
family  while  he  was  receiving  the  benefits  of  a  liberal  education,  he 
conveyed  to  them,  as  soon  as  the  laws  permitted  his  disposition  of  the 
estate,  a  small  tract  of  land  which  had  been  granted  him  by  his 
grandfather  for  his  own  support. 

Upon  his  graduation  from  college,  having  fixed  upon  the  legal 
profession  as  his  choice,  against  which,  however,  his  family  enter- 
tained the  strongest  prejudices,  upon  the  second  day  after  his  com- 
mencement, and  when  he  was  scarcely  nineteen  years  of  age,  deter- 
mining to  be  no  longer  a  burden  to  his  family,  he  departed,  in  com- 
pany with  two  or  three  friends,  on  horseback,  and  with  but  a  few- 
dollars  in  his  pocket,  for  Cecil  county,  near  Octorara  Creek  in  the 
state  of  Maryland,  in  order  to  be  employed  as  an  assistant  in  a  school, 
which  he  had  learned  was  just  deprived  of  a  teacher,  and  which  was 
under  the  management  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hunt,  to  whom  he  carried 
letters  of  recommendation.  Before  his  arrival  the  place  was  occupied. 
He  was  received  with  great  hospitality  by  this  gentleman  however, 
who,  conjointly  with  his  other  friends,  advised  him  to  proceed  im- 
mediately to  Queenstown,  Queen  Ann's  county,  where  a  vacancy  had 
just  occurred  in  the  common  school  of  that  place.  Carrying  to  that 
county  letters  of  introduction  to  the  board  of  trustees,  among  whom 
was  Edward  Tighlman,  (father  of  the  distinguished  Edward  Tighl- 
man,  Esq.  of  Philadelphia,)  as  well  as  to  many  of  the  most  distin- 
guished gentlemen  in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  engaged,  after  the 
ordinary  examination,  to  take  charge  of  the  school. 

His  object  in  entering  upon  this  employment  was,  to  acquire  a  sup- 
port while  pursuing  the  study  of  the  law.  Here  he  remained  in  the 
capacity  of  a  preceptor  until  April,  1770.  During  this  period  he 
made  many  valuable  acquaintances,  among  whom  was  Solomon 
Wright,  Esq.,  the  father  of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Wright,  late  senator  of  the 
United  States,  who  gave  him  the  advantage  of  his  library,  and  re- 
ceived him  in  all  respects  as  a  member  of  his  family.  For  several 
years  he  had  little  relaxation  from  the  most  vigorous  industry.  His 
means  were  scanty,  as  the  meagre  profits  of  his  school  were  his  sole 
support.  His  improvident  habits  of  expenditure  brought  him  eventu- 
ally into  debt;  and  upon  his  expressing  his  determination  to  relin- 
quish the  business  of  an  instructor,  and  to  devote  one  year  exclusively 
to  the  study  of  the  law,  he  was  arrested  upon  five  different  warrants 
of  attachment.  In  fact,  a  want  of  economy  in  his  pecuniary  affairs 
was  prominent  through  life,  and  frequently  brought  upon  him  the 
most  unpleasant  consequences.  On  this  subject  he  somewhat  quaintly 


LUTHER  MARTIN. 

remarks  respecting  himself—"  I  am  not  even  yet,  I  was  not  then,  nor 
have  I  ever  been,  an  economist  of  any  thing  but  time."* 

In  1771,  through  the  kind  agency  of  George  Wythe,  the  former 
chancellor  of  the  state  of  Virginia,  and  the  Hon.  John  Randolph,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  continued  his  legal  studies  until  1772,  and 
then  proceeded  to  Williamsburgh,  where  the  general  court  was  in 
session,  and  remained  in  that  place  until  it  terminated.  Here  he 
formed  many  valuable  acquaintances,  among  whom  may  be  men- 
tioned Patrick  Henry,  the  great  orator  of  the  Revolution. 

He  soon  after  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  in  Accomack 
and  Northampton,  in  Virginia,  and  was  admitted  as  an  attorney  in 
the  courts  of  Somerset  and  Worcester,  which  held  their  sessions 
four  times  a  year.  He  made  his  residence  in  Somerset,  where  he 
soon  acquired  a  full  and  lucrative  practice,  amounting,  as  he  informs 
us,  to  about  one  thousand  pounds  per  annum ;  which,  however,  was 
after  a  period  diminished  by  the  disturbances  growing  out  of  the 
American  Revolution.  At  this  time  he  was  occasionally  employed 
in  causes  of  Admiralty  jurisdiction,  involving  interests  of  great  mag- 
nitude, and  also  in  some  important  appeals  to  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.  A  Criminal  court  had  just  been  established  at  Wil- 
liamsburgh, and  Mr.  MARTIN  was  employed  as  counsel  for  thirty 
prisoners,  twenty-nine  of  whom  were  acquitted.  His  talents  were  at 
this  time  fully  appreciated,  and  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
able  lawyers  at  the  bar  at  which  he  practised. 

In  1774,  while  attending  the  courts  in  Virginia,  he  was  appointed 
one  of  a  committee  for  the  county  to  oppose  the  claims  of  Great  Bri- 
tain, and  also  a  member  of  the  Convention  which  was  called  at  An- 
napolis to  resist  the  usurpations  of  the  British  crown.  He  threw 
the  whole  strength  of  his  manly  vigor,  courage,  and  iron  firmness 
into  the  cause  of  American  freedom,  and  opposed  these  claims  with 
extraordinary  boldness  at  a  period,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  through- 
out which  not  only  myself,  but  many  others,  did  not  lie  down  one 
night  on  their  beds  without  the  hazard  of  waking  on  board  a  British 
armed  ship  or  in  the  other  world."  When  the  Howes  were  on  the 
way  to  Chesapeak  Bay,  they  published  a  manifesto,  or  proclamation, 
addressed  to  the  people  of  that  part  of  the  United  States,  against 
which  they  were  directing  their  military  operations.  This  procla- 
mation was  answered  in  an  address  to  the  Howes  by  LUTHER  MAR- 


*  Modem  Ingratitude,  p.  138. 

3 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

TIN.  He  also,  about  the  same  time,  published  an  address,  directed 
"  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Peninsula  between  the  Delaware  river 
and  the  Chesapeak  to  the  southward  of  the  British  lines,"  which  was 
distributed  among  them  in  printed  hand-bills. 

Upon  the  llth  of  February,  1778,  he  was  appointed,  through  the 
advice  of  Judge  Chace,  Attorney  General  of  the  state  of  Maryland  ;  in 
xvhich  office  his  remarkable  firmness,  professional  knowledge,  and 
uncompromising  energy,  were  most  strikingly  exhibited  in  prosecuting 
the  Tories  and  the  confiscation  of  their  goods.  No  other  man,  in  fact, 
could  be  found  at  that  time  of  sufficient  hardihood  and  firmness  to 
fill  this  office.  LUTHER  MARTIN  was  called  upon  at  this  crisis,  and 
he  met  it  with  a  manliness  of  decision  and  a  determined  power,  which 
left  no  room  for  fear ;  coming  down  upon  this  class  of  men  with  an 
iron  hand,  and  bringing  to  bear  upon  them  all  the  powers  of  the  go- 
vernment in  order  to  effect  their  total  defeat  and  overthrow.  In  per- 
forming the  duties  of  his  office  in  other  respects,  he  exhibited  the 
same  vigorous  and  unquailing  determination.  On  one  occasion,  for  his 
promptitude  in  prosecuting  a  man  of  great  respect,  ability,  and  influ- 
ence, who  was  indicted  for  the  murder  of  an  Irishman,  he  was  voted, 
by  the  friends  of  the  murdered  man,  a  massive  service  of  silver  plate, 
which,  from  official  considerations,  he  refused  to  accept. 

He  continued  in  the  office  of  Attorney-General  during  a  long  period, 
constantly  augmenting  his  reputation  as  an  advocate  and  jurist.  The 
office  was  conferred  on  him  originally  without  his  solicitation,  and 
his  commission  found  him  at  Accomack,  giving  directions  to  work- 
men who  were  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  salt. 

As  a  demonstration  of  his  powers  of  mind,  as  well  as  his  great  legal 
acquirements,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  he  stood  among  the  brightest 
and  strongest  at  a  bar,  which  numbered  among  its  members  a  bril- 
liant constellation,  composed  of  such  men  as  Harper,  Winder,  Chase, 
Wirt,  and  Pinkney. 

In  1783  he  was  married  to  a  Miss  Cresap  of  Old  Town  in  the 
state  of  Maryland,  who  was  the  grand-daughter  of  Col.  Cresap,  against 
whom  the  charge  was  brought  by  Mr.  Jefferson  of  having  murdered 
the  Indian  family  of  Logan.  This  charge  originated  a  long  contro- 
versy between  the  latter  gentleman  and  Mr.  MARTIN,  which  were 
carried  on  through  divers  inflammatory  pamphlets. 

During  the  whole  course  of  his  practice  at  the  bar  he  was  a  vio- 
lent politician,  and  wrote  for  the  press  several  pungent  essays  against 
what  was  then  denominated  the  Democratic  party. 

In  1804  he  was  engaged,  conjointly  with  Mr.  Harper,  in  the  de- 


LUTHER  MARTIN. 

fence  of  Judge  Chase,  then  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Superior  Court 
of  the  United  States,  who  was  impeached  in  the  house  of  Represen- 
tatives, upon  eight  articles,  for  malfeasance  in  office.  After  a  power- 
ful argument  in  his  behalf,  Judge  Chase  was  acquitted  ;  a  constitu- 
tional majority  not  having  been  found  against  him  upon  a  single 
article. 

Aaron  Burr,  that  able  though  ill-fated  man,  was  at  this  period  the 
personal  and  political  friend  of  Mr.  MARTIN.  He  had  just  broken 
away  from  his  brilliant  career,  and  public  opinion  had  branded  him 
as  a  traitor.  In  1807,  his  trial  for  treason  "  in  preparing  the  means 
of  a  military  expedition  against  Mexico,  a  territory  of  the  king  of 
Spain,  with  whom  the  United  States  were  at  peace,"  occurred  in  the 
Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  district  of  Virginia.  Messrs. 
Wickham,  Wirt,  Randolph,  and  MARTIN,  were  engaged  upon  this 
cause,  which  involved  interests  of  vast  importance,  and  principles  of 
constitutional  law  of  great  magnitude.  Mr.  MARTIN  appeared  in 
defence  of  his  friend,  who,  as  every  body  knows,  was  acquitted. 
During  the  whole  course  of  the  trial  Mr.  MARTIN  demonstrated 
himself  to  be  the  steadfast  friend  of  Aaron  Burr,  and  entered  into  a 
recognisance  for  his  appearance,  from  day  to  day,  before  the  bar  of 
court. 

In  1814  Mr.  MARTIN  was  appointed  chief  judge  of  the  Court  of 
Oyer  and  Terminer  for  the  city  and  county  of  Baltimore,  and  ful- 
filled its  duties  with  considerable  rigor,  though  with  great  success, 
until  a  new  state  law  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  relinquish  his 
seat  upon  the  bench.  In  1818  he  was  again  qualified  as  attorney- 
general  of  the  state  and  district  attorney  for  the  city  of  Baltimore ; 
but  his  declining  health  prevented  him  from  attending  in  person  to 
his  official  duties. 

From  that  period  to  the  time  of  his  death,  his  mind  and  body  were 
gradually  impaired  by  disease,  and  a  paralytic  stroke,  with  which  he 
was  soon  after  attacked,  almost  destroyed  his  physical  and  intellec- 
tual powers.  Suffering  in  his  old  age  under  the  goadings  of  penury, 
he  removed  to  the  city  of  New- York,  to  take  advantage  of  the  hos- 
pitality of  his  old  friend  and  client,  Aaron  Burr,  who  faithfully  paid 
him  the  last  rites  of  kindness,  in  the  imbecillity  of  his  age,  in  return 
for  the  valuable  services  which  MARTIN  had  rendered  him,  both  in 
money  and  talent,  when  he  was  in  the  full  vigor  and  glory  of  man- 
hood. 

LUTHER  MARTIN  died  at  New- York,  from  the  mere  decay  of  na- 
ture, on  the  evening  of  the  10th  of  July,  1826,  aged  82  years. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

The  information  of  his  death  having  reached  Baltimore,  the  bench 
and  the  bar  immediately  convened  in  the  court  house  of  that  city  ; 
and  on  motion  of  the  Honorable  John  Purviance,  it  was  "Resolved, 
that  we  hear  with  great  sensibility  of  the  death  of  our  venerable 
brother,  the  former  attorney-general  of  Maryland,  and  the  patri- 
arch of  the  profession,  LUTHER  MARTIN  ;  and  that,  as  a  testimony 
of  just  regard  for  his  memory,  and  great  respect  for  his  exalted  talents 
and  profound  learning,  we  will  wear  mourning  for  the  space  of 
thirty  days." 

As  a  lawyer,  Mr.  MARTIN  was  learned,  clear,  solid,  and  second  to 
no  man  among  his  competitors.  In  fact  he  shone  far  above  his  con- 
temporaries in  the  accuracy  of  his  knowledge  and  the  clearness  of 
his  forensic  arguments.  He  had  drawn  his  legal  attainments,  like 
Pinkney,  from  the  great  fountains  of  jurisprudence  ;  and  was  content 
to  exhibit  them  only  in  the  light  of  that  reason,  which,  Sir  Edward 
Coke  declares,  "  is  the  life  of  the  law."  Of  his  general  powers  at  the 
bar,  his  unbroken  success  and  his  exalted  reputation  abroad,  are  plain 
demonstrations.  His  mind  was  so  completely  stored  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  legal  science,  and  his  professional  accuracy  was  so  generally 
acknowledged,  that  his  mere  opinion  was  considered  law,  and  is 
now  deemed  sound  authority  before  any  American  tribunal.  His 
cast  of  mind  was  less  brilliant  than  solid.  He  ordinarily  commenced 
his  efforts  at  the  bar  with  a  long,  desultory,  tedious  exordium.  He 
seemed  to  labor  amid  the  vast  mass  of  general  matters  at  the  com- 
mencement of  his  speeches,  sometimes  continuing  for  an  hour  in  a 
confused  essay,  and  then  suddenly  springing  off  upon  his  track  with 
a  strong,  cogent,  and  well-compacted  argument.  His  address  at  the 
bar  was  not  good,  nor  was  his  voice  agreeable ;  consequently  the 
value  of  his  forensic  efforts  is  based  more  upon  the  fortiter  in  re, 
than  the  suamter  in  modo  ;  more  upon  matter  than  manner.  The 
sensitiveness  of  his  feelings  frequently  led  him  to  acrimonious  ex- 
pressions against  his  antagonists.  He  was  accustomed,  from  the 
fashion  of  the  age,  to  use  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  stimulus  of 
ardent  spirit ;  and  we  have  been  credibly  informed  that  he  has  de- 
livered some  of  his  most  powerful  and  splendid  arguments  under  its 
strongest  excitement. 

He  was  a  man  of  warm  heart  and  generous  feelings,  and  to  prove 
this,  numerous  examples  of  his  benevolence  might  be  cited ;  but  in 
the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  he  was  rigorous  and  unyielding. 

Before  closing  this  article,  we  must  add  that  Mr.  MARTIN  was  op- 
posed to  the  adoption  of  the  present  constitution  of  the  United  States. 


LUTHER  MARTIN. 

As  a  member  of  the  Convention  by  which  that  instrument  was  framed, 
he  combatted  it  in  its  earliest  stages;  and  when  it  was  committed  to 
the  states  for  their  approval,  he  addressed  a  long  argument  to  the 
legislature  of  Maryland,  which  was  intended  to  dissuade  the  people 
of  that  state  from  adopting  it.  This  argument  concluded  with  the 
following  words — "  Whether,  Sir,  in  the  variety  of  appointments, 
and  in  the  scramble  for  them,  I  might  not  have  as  good  a  prospect 
to  advantage  myself  as  many  others,  it  is  not  for  me  to  say ;  but 
this,  Sir.  I  can  say  with  truth,  that  so  far  was  I  from  being  influ- 
enced in  my  conduct  by  interest,  or  the  consideration  of  office^  that 
I  would  cheerfully  resign  the  appointment  I  now  hold ;  I  would 
bind  myself  never  to  accept  another,  either  under  the  general  go- 
vernment or  that  of  my  own  state :  I  would  do  more,  Sir,  so  des- 
tructive do  I  consider  the  present  system  to  the  happiness  of  my 
country.  I  would  cheerfully  sacrifice  that  share  of  property  with 
which  heaven  has  blessed  a  life  of  industry.  I  would  reduce  my- 
self to  indigence  and  poverty ;  and  those  who  are  dearer  to  me  than 
my  own  existence,  I  would  entrust  to  the  care  and  protection  of  that 
providence  who  hath  so  kindly  protected  myself,  if  on  those  terms 
only  I  could  procure  my  country  to  reject  those  chains  which  are 
forged  for  it."*  Mr.  MARTIN'S  violent  opposition  to  the  proposed 
frame  of  government  was  unsuccessful,  but  it  most  probably  caused 
a  more  deliberate  examination  and  approval  than  might  have  been 
deemed  necessary  had  it  not  been  so  powerfully  assailed. 

Mr.  MARTIN'S  personal  appearance,  as  well  as  his  mind,  were  alike 
extraordinary.  He  often  appeared  walking  in  the  street  with  his 
legal  documents  close  to  his  eyes  for  perusal — wholly  abstracted 
from  the  world  and  absorbed  in  his  profession.  He  was  little  above 
the  ordinary  size  of  men,  but  strong  and  muscular,  although  not  very 
broad,  in  form.  He  usually  wore  a  brown  or  blue  dress,  with  ruffles 
around  the  wrists  after  the  ancient  fashion,  and  his  hair  tied  behind 
hanging  below  the  collar  of  his  coat. 

LUTHER  MARTIN  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  which 
our  country  has  produced,  and  his  name  will  descend  to  posterity 
among  the  brightest  of  those,  who  have  gained  their  reputation  strictly 
at  the  bar,  and  in  connection  with  causes  which  can  never  be  detached 
from  our  national  annals ;  but  there  are  others  of  the  same  profession, 
with  natural  and  acquired  talents  certainly  not  superior  to  his,  whose 


*  Secret  Proceedings  and  Debates  of  the  Federal  Convention,  pages  93,  94. 
7 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

fame  will  probably  occupy  a  broader  space,  merely  from  the  fact,  that 
the  stage  on  which  they  play  their  part  is  more  conspicuous  than 
that  on  which  he  acted  his. 

8 


XiCA\^   SfiSIflF 


THOMAS    MIFFLIN. 


THOMAS  MIFFLIN  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  year 
1744.  His  ancestors  were  of  the  society  of  Friends^  and  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  the  most  respectable  class. 
He  was  a  graduate  in  the  college  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  distin- 
guished for  scholarship  and  genius.  He  ever  afterwards  retained  a 
fondness  for  classical  literature,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
best  writers.  He  was  intended  by  his  parents  for  a  merchant,  and, 
after  leaving  college,  was  placed  in  one  of  the  first  counting  houses 
in  the  city.  He  subsequently  made  a  voyage  to  Europe,  and  on  his 
return  entered  into  business  with  one  of  his  brothers.  His  gay  and 
generous  temper,  his  extraordinary  powers  of  conversation,  with  his 
frank  and  popular  manners,  made  him,  at  a  very  early  age,  a  decided 
favorite  with  his  fellow-citizens.  The  city  of  Philadelphia  was  at 
that  time  represented  in  the  state  legislature  by  two  burgesses,  annu- 
ally elected  by  the  people.  As  the  difficulties  with  the  mother  country 
were  becoming  serious  and  threatening,  it  was  particularly  important 
to  advance  to  places  of  high  public  trust,  men  whose  patriotic  prin- 
ciples could  be  relied  upon ;  and  whose  knowledge,  talents,  and  force 
of  character  qualified  them  to  serve  the  country  faithfully  and  effi- 
ciently in  the  impending  danger.  THOMAS  MIFFLIN  was  elected  in 
1772,  although  but  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  as  one  of  the  burgesses 
to  represent  the  city  in  the  general  assembly  of  the  state.  Two  years 
afterwards  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  delegates  from  the  state  to 
the  first  congress. 

The  occasion  now  occurred  to  call  forth,  and  exhibit  to  advantage, 
his  peculiar  talents.  No  man  of  our  country  has  excelled  him  in  the  fire, 
energy,  arid  effect  of  his  addresses  to  an  assembly  of  the  people.  There 
was  an  earnest, — a  fascinating  animation  in  his  manner,  which  touched 
every  heart ;  a  perspicuity  in  his  ideas  which  every  man  could  under- 
stand ;  and  a  propriety,  strength,  and  point  in  his  language,  which,  alto- 
gether, was  irresistible  upon  his  audience.  He  knew  exactly  how  and 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

where  to  strike  the  public  feeling.    The  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton presented  a  noble  and  interesting  opportunity  for  the  display  of  his 
powers  of  eloquence.     Many  addresses  were  delivered,  such  as  the 
solemnity  of  the  subject  and  patriotism  of  the  orators  dictated ;  but 
MIFFLIN,  although  the  youngest  of  the  speakers,  took  the  bold  and 
decisive  ground  of  a  steady  adherence  to  the  resolutions  which  were 
then  offered  and  adopted.     In  a  memoir  of  his  life  read  to  the  His- 
torical Society  of  Pennsylvania,  the  conclusion  of  his  address  is  thus 
quoted — "Let  us  not  be  bold  in  declarations  and  afterwards  cold  in. 
action.   Let  not  the  patriotic  feeling  of  to-day  be  forgotten  to-morrow; 
nor  have  it  said  of  Philadelphia,  that  she  passed  noble  resolutions, 
slept  upon  them,  and  afterwards  neglected  them."     This  was  high 
language  for  that  day,  although  the  men  of  the  present  time,  when 
"  our  country  has  become  powerful  and  proud,  can  scarcely  believe  it. 
But  MIFFLIN  did  not  preach  a  doctrine  which  he  would  not  himself 
follow ;  he  did  not  begin  and  end  his  fit  of  patriotism  with  brave  words 
and  brilliant  speeches,  in  which  there  might  have  been  as  much  of 
vanity  as  love  of  country.     He  did  not  go  home  to  sleep  upon  and 
forget  the  resolutions  he  so  warmly  recommended  to  others.     He  fol- 
lowed them  by  corresponding  actions,  and  entered  at  once  into  the 
military  service.     Companies  and  regiments  for  the  assertion  and 
defence  of  American  liberties  and  rights  were  spontaneously  formed, 
and  MIFFLIN  was  appointed  the  major  of  one  of  the  regiments.    To 
wait  until  danger  came  upon  him  did  not  suit  his  ardent  spirit ;  be 
determined  to  seek  it,  and  accordingly  joined  the  camp  then  formed 
at  Boston.     He  very  soon  distinguished  himself  there  by  opposing  a 
detachment  of  the  British  army  sent  to  collect  cattle  from  the  neigh- 
borhood.    An  officer  of  high  rank,  who  was  a  witness  of  this  pro- 
ceeding, declared  that  he  "never  saw  a  greater  display  of  personal 
bravery  than  was  exhibited  on  this  occasion  in  the  cool  and  intrepid 
conduct  of  Colonel  MIFFLIN."  A  short  time  after  the  withdrawal  of  the 
British  troops  from  Boston,  Colonel  MIFFLIN  received  from  congress 
the  commission  of  brigadier-general;  having  previously  performed, 
in  a  most  satisfactory  manner,  the  arduous  duties  of  quarter-master- 
general.    The  high  opinion  which  congress  entertained  of  the  talents, 
judgment,  and  zeal  in  the  great  cause,  of  General  MIFFLIN,  was 
manifested  by  a  resolution  of  25th  of  May,  1776,  appointing  a  com- 
mittee to  confer  with  General  Washington,  General  Gates,  and  Ge- 
neral MIFFLIN,  "touching  the  frontiers  towards  Canada."     To  be 
associated  with  such  men  in  such  a  service,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two^ 
was  a  most  gratifying  honor. 


THOMAS   MIFFLIN. 

In  the  fall  of  1776  American  affairs  bore  a  most  desponding  aspect, 
and  American  liberty  was  drooping,  almost  to  despair.  The  people, 
even  many  who  set  out  bravely  on  the  onset,  were  becoming  weary, 
discontented,  and  disheartened  with  a  contest  in  which  they  no  longer 
saw  any  hope  of  success.  The  army  was  melting  away,  and  the 
shattered  remnant  which  stood  to  their  arms  and  flag  had  ceased  to 
look  for  victory  in  the  battle  field,  and  were  satisfied  to  find  refuge 
from  a  conquering  enemy  in  secure  positions.  In  this  gloomy  state 
of  the  country,  her  leading  and  undaunted  patriots  determined  to 
make  an  attempt  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  preceding  year  by  per- 
sonal appeals  to  the  patriotism  and  honorable  feelings  of  the  people. 
The  peculiar  eloquence  of  General  MIFFLIN  was  exactly  what  was 
wanted  for  this  purpose,  and  he  was  directed  to  go  into  the  counties 
of  Pennsylvania,  "  to  exhort  and  rouse  the  militia  to  come  forth  in 
defence  of  their  country."  His  selection  for  this  service  is  mentioned 
by  Marshall  in  his  Life  of  Washington  ;  who  says,  that  "the  exertions 
of  General  MIFFLIN,  who  had  been  commissioned  to  raise  the  militia 
of  Pennsylvania,  though  they  made  but  little  impression  on  the 
state  at  large,  were  attended  with  some  degree  of  success  in  Phila- 
delphia. A  large  proportion  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  city  had  as- 
sociated for  the  defence  of  their  country;  and  on  this  occasion  fifteen 
hundred  of  them  marched  to  Trenton."  General  Washington  had 
given  up  his  design  of  marching  to  Princeton  on  receiving  intelli- 
gence that  Lord  Cornwallis  was  rapidly  advancing  from  Brunswick, 
and  had  passed  the  Delaware ;  the  British  then  occupying  Trenton. 
General  MIFFLIN  was  again  despatched  to  Philadelphia  to  take 
charge  of  the  numerous  stores  in  that  place.  "  The  utmost  exertions," 
says  Marshall,  "  were  made  by  the  civil  authority  to  raise  the  militia." 
General  MIFFLIN  was  directed  to  "repair  immediately  to  the 'neigh- 
boring counties,  and  endeavor,  by  all  the  means  in  his  power,  to  rouse 
and  bring  in  the  militia  to  the  defence  of  Philadelphia."  Congress 
also  declared  that  they  deemed  it  of  great  importance  to  the  general 
safety  that  "  General  MIFFLIN  should  make  a  progress  through  several 
of  the  counties  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  to  rouse  the  freemen 
thereof  to  the  immediate  defence  of  the  city  and  country;"  and  they 
resolved  "  that  the  assembly  be  requested  to  appoint  a  committee  of 
their  body  to  make  the  tour  with  him,  and  assist  in  this  good  and 
necessary  work."  General  MIFFLIN  cheerfully  accepted  this  good 
and  necessary  mission,  and  executed  it  with  his  usual  ability  and 
zeal.  He  assembled  the  people  at  convenient  places,  and  poured 
forth  his  exciting  eloquence  in  meeting-houses,  churches,  and  court- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

houses ;  from  pulpits  sacred  to  the  offices  of  religion,  and  the  judg- 
ment seats  of  the  law.  The  battle  of  Princeton,  in  January,  1777,  im- 
mediately followed  these  exertions ;  and  the  victories  of  Trenton  and 
Princeton  may  be  considered  as  having  assured  and  sealed  American 
independence.  General  MIFFLIN  was  present  at  Princeton,  and 
makes  a  conspicuous  figure  in  Col.  Trumbull's  painting  of  that  me- 
morable conflict.  In  the  following  February  congress  raised  General 
MIFFLIN  to  the  rank  of  Major-General. 

Although  the  health  of  General  MIFFLIN  was  considerably  im- 
paired by  his  constant  and  various  labors  in  the  military  service  of 
his  country,  he  continued  in  it  to  the  end  of  the  war;  and  he  enjoyed, 
with  his  co-laborers  in  the  great  work,  the  unspeakable  happiness  of 
seeing  the  independence  and  liberties  of  his  country  firmly  and  for  ever 
established.  He  had  maintained  and  augmented  the  attachment  of 
his  fellow-citizens  to  him,  and  in  1783  was  appointed,  by  the  legis- 
lature of  Pennsylvania,  a  member  of  congress.  By  that  illustrious 
oody  of  true  American  patriots,  he  was,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
elevated  to  the  seat  of  their  president.  In  this  capacity  he  received 
from  General  Washington  the  resignation  of  his  commission  of  Com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  American  army.  It  was  his  duty  to  reply  to 
the  address  of  Washington  on  this  august  occasion,  which,  in  all 
its  interesting  circumstances,  has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  human 
affairs.  Both  addresses  were  such  as  would  be  expected  from  the 
respective  officers. 

In  1785  General  MIFFLIN  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  legislature 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  elected  the  speaker  of  that  body.  In  1788  he 
became  president  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  the  state,  under 
the  constitution  of  that  day.  In  1787  the  great  convention  assembled 
at  Philadelphia  to  frame  a  government  for  the  United  States,  (then 
sinking  into  anarchy  and  ruin  because  they  had  no  government,) 
which  should  "form  a  more  perfect  union,  establish  justice,  ensure  do- 
mestic tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common  defence,  promote  the 
general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and 
our  posterity."  A  more  dignified  and  solemn  trust  was  never  committed 
to  human  agency.  The  destinies  of  a  great  empire,  of  innumerable 
millions  of  men,  were  placed  in  their  hands ;  and  never  was  a  trust 
more  faithfully,  more  wisely,  more  successfully  performed.  In  this 
illustrious  assembly  General  MIFFLIN  was  one  of  the  representatives 
of  Pennsylvania.  We  cannot  withstand  the  temptation  to  note  the 
names  of  his  colleagues  in  this  delegation,  that  it  may  be  seen  to  what 
sort  of  men  the  people  of  that  day  entrusted  their  high  concerns. 


THOMAS   MIFFLIN. 

The  Pennsylvania  delegation  consisted  of— Benjamin  Franklin, 
Thomas  Mifflin,  Robert  Morris,  George  Clymer,  Thomas  Fitz- 
simmons,  Jared  Ingersoll,  James  Wilson,  Gouverneur  Morris  ! 

Soon  after  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  a 
convention  was  called  by  the  people  of  Pennsylvania  to  reform  their 
plan  of  government.  Of  this  convention  General  MIFFLIN  was  a 
member,  and  the  president.  He  had,  as  he  had  shown  when  speaker 
of  the  house  of  assembly,  an  unusual  fitness  for  presiding  over  such  : 
assemblies.  He  was  prompt  and  decisive,  and  exercised  his  authority 
with  dignity  and  impartiality.  When  the  constitution,  formed  and 
adopted  by  this  convention,  went  into  operation,  General  MIFFLIN 
was  elected  the  first  governor,  in  whose  hands  the  whole  executive 
power  of  the  state  was  placed,  and  he  continued  to  hold  the  office,  by 
reflections,  for  the  whole  constitutional  term,  to  wit,  nine  years. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  during  Governor  MIFFLIN'S 
administration  of  the  state  government,  that  the  insolent  conduct  of 
the  ministers  of  revolutionary  France  disturbed  the  quiet  of  our 
country,  by  endeavoring  to  organize  a  regular  opposition  to  the  federal 
administration,  then  in  the  hands  of  President  Washington.  The 
feelings  of  our  people  were  highly  excited  in  favor  of  what  they 
thought  was  republican  France.  The  French  ministers  presuming 
upon  this  feeling,  and  ignorant  of  the  superior  and  steady  attachment  of 
our  citizens  to  their  own  country  and  government,  assumed  to  exercise 
sovereign  powers  within  the  territories  of  the  United  States.  The 
governor  of  Pennsylvania,  in  common  with  a  great  majority  of  our 
citizens,  entertained  a  strong  predilection  for  the  French  people  and 
their  cause.  But  this  did  not  lead  him  to  forget  or  neglect  the  duties 
which,  as  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  he  owed  to  the  government 
of  the  Union.  When  the  president  found  it  necessary  to  call  upon 
him  for  his  aid  in  executing  the  laws,  and  maintaining  the  authority 
of  the  United  States,  the  requisition  was  promptly  complied  with. 

In  1794,  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  about  French  affairs,  and 
not  without  some  connexion  with  it,  an  insurrection  broke  out  in 
some  of  the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  immediately  inflamed  by 
the  imposition  of  certain  internal  taxes,  particularly  that  on  whiskey. 
The  government  of  the  United  States,  whose  laws  were  thus  defied 
and  opposed  by  force,  was  obliged  to  take  the  field  to  quell  the  in- 
surgents. On  the  call  of  the  president,  Governor  MIFFLIN  marched 
at  the  head  of  the  quota  of  militia  demanded  of  Pennsylvania;  and 
putting  aside  all  the  pride  of  rank  and  etiquette,  served  under  Ge- 
neral Lee,  the  governor  of  Virginia,  who  had  been  inferior  to  Governor 


1XATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

MIFFLIN  in  rank  in  the  army  of  the  war  of  revolution ;  and  although 
the  service  to  be  performed  was  in  Governor  MIFFLIN'S  own  state. 
Speaking  of  this  insurrection,  Marshall  says — "By  his  personal 
exertions  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania  compensated  for  the  defects 
in  the  militia  laws  of  that  state.  From  some  inadvertence,  as  was 
said,  on  the  part  of  the  brigade  inspectors,  the  militia  could  not  be 
drafted ;  and,  consequently,  the  quota  of  Pennsylvania  could  be  com- 
plied with  only  by  volunteers.  The  governor,  who  was  endowed 
with  a  high  degree  of  popular  eloquence,  made  a  circuit  through  the 
lower  counties  of  the  state,  and  publicly  addressed  the  militia  at  dif- 
ferent places,  where  he  had  caused  them  to  be  assembled,  on  the  crisis 
in  the  affairs  of  their  country.  So  successful  were  these  animating 
exhortations,  that  Pennsylvania  was  not  behind  her  sister  states  in 
furnishing  the  quota  required  from  her." 

Governor  MIFFLIN  took  his  leave  of  the  legislature  on  the  7th  of 
December,  1799 ;  and  having  been  elected  a  member  of  the  house  of 
representatives,  he  took  his  seat  in  that  assembly.  His  health  was 
now  exceedingly  impaired;  he  had  frequent  attacks  of^the  gout, 
which  generally  struck  at  his  stomach.  After  a  short  confinement, 
he  died  on  the  20th  of  January  1800,  at  Lancaster,  at  that  time  the 
seat  of  government.  Resolutions  were  passed  by  the  legislature  ex- 
pressive of  the  high  sense  entertained  of  his  public  services  as  a  sol- 
dier and  a  statesman ;  his  interment  was  provided  for  at  the  public 
expense,  and  a  monument  erected  to  his  memory. 

Governor  MIFFLIN,  from  his  early  youth  to  the  hour  of  his  death, 
was  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and  always  in  a  prominent  position. 
He  maintained  the  confidence  and  favor  of  his  fellow-citizens  from 
the  first  to  the  last,  without  a  moment's  interruption  or  abatement; 
they,  indeed,  went  on  increasing.  In  his  personal  appearance  he  was 
uncommonly  handsome;  rather  below  the  ordinary  height ;  but  his 
form  was  in  such  good  proportion,  and  so  firmly  set,  that  he  was 
admirably  calculated  for  any  exertion  of  activity  or  endurance  of 
fatigue.  There  was  an  extraordinary  brilliancy  in  his  eye;  an  ani- 
mation and  point  in  his  conversation,  which  fastened  upon  all  who 
listened  to  him.  He  was  an  ardent  and  sincere  friend,  and  nobody 
sooner  forgot  an  injury.  His  purse  was  too  freely  open  to  every  call 
upon  it,  and  his  habits  of  expense  too  improvident  for  his  own  in- 
terest and  comfort.  A  contemporary  officer  of  the  revolution,  by  no 
means  a  personal  friend,  says  that  he  was  a  man  of  "  education,  of 
ready  apprehension  and  brilliancy,  and  possessed  fortitude  equal  to 
any  demands  that  might  be  made  upon  it." 


Engraved  byEMa-kenzie,  from  the  Painting  by.CWTeale  intheTMadelp'. 


RICHARD  MONTGOMERY. 


THE  subject  of  the  present  memoir  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland 
in  1736 ;  possessed  of  excellent  talents,  his  parents  were  careful  to 
mature  them  by  a  superior  education.  He  embraced  the  profession  of 
arms  at  an  early  age,  and  entering  the  army  of  Great  Britain,  com- 
menced his  military  career  in  America.  The  regiment  to  which  he 
belonged  made  part  of  the  army  which,  in  1757,  was  assembled  at 
Halifax,  and  intended  for  the  reduction  of  Louisburg,  a  fortress  of 
great  strength,  which  was  believed  to  be  the  key  to  the  French  pos- 
sessions in  America.  In  the  attack  on  that  place,  which  commenced 
on  the  8th  of  June  1758,  MONTGOMERY,  who  served  in  the  dite  of 
the  army,  under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Wolfe,  gave  the 
first  decisive  evidence  of  those  high  military  qualities  which  marked 
his  subsequent  conduct.  After  the  capture  of  Louisburg  he  marched 
with  his  regiment,  under  the  orders  of  General  Amherst,  to  the  relief 
of  Abercrombie,  who  had  been  defeated  at  Ticonderoga.  He  re- 
mained at  that  point  on  lake  Champlain  until  1760,  when  the  con- 
quest of  Canada  was  completed 

Large  detachments  of  the  British  forces  in  America  were  then  sent 
to  operate  against  the  French  and  Spanish  West  India  Islands.  In 
the  two  campaigns  which  were  employed  on  that  laborious  and 
perilous  service,  MONTGOMERY  had  a  full  share  of  toil  and  danger, 
and  his  conduct  was  rewarded  by  promotion  to  the  command  of  a 
company. 

Soon  after  the  peace  in  1763,  his  regiment  returned  to  New- York, 
and  he  obtained  leave  of  absence  and  revisited  Europe,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1772,  when,  having  been  twice  circumvented  in  the  pur- 
chase of  a  majority,  he  sold  his  commission,  and  in  January  of  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

following  year  he  arrived  in  New- York.  On  his  arrival  he  purchased 
an  estate  on  the  Hudson,  about  one  hundred  miles  from  the  city, 
and  married  a  daughter  of  Robert  R.  Livingston.  Adopting,  in  their 
fullest  extent,  the  American  feelings  for  liberty  and  hatred  of  op- 
pression, he  freely  expressed  his  readiness  to  draw  his  sword  on  the 
side  of  the  Colonies;  and  on  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary 
struggle,  the  command  of  the  Continental  forces  was  intrusted  to  him 
m  conjunction  with  General  Schuyler,  in  the  fall  of  1775.  In  Octo- 
ber, the  indisposition  of  the  latter  preventing  him  from  taking  the 
field,  the  chief  command  devolved  upon  General  MONTGOMERY. 

Leaving  his  peaceful  retirement  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  where 
he  had  acquired  that  station  and  authority  among  his  fellow-citizens 
which  superior  acquirements  and  inflexible  integrity  never  fail  to 
secure,  he  felt  himself  called  upon,  like  another  Regulus,  to  bid  fare- 
well to  those  domestic  endearments  with  which  he  was  eminently 
blessed,  and  to  rush  at  once  upon  his  short  career,  which,  however 
sudden  its  termination,  was  crowded  with  scenes  of  virtuous  activity 
sufficient  to  have  dignified  the  longest  life. 

The  Canada  expedition  of  this  year  was  one  of  those  measures, 
which  the  enemies  of  America  having  first  rendered  necessary,  soon 
strove  to  construe  into  an  act  of  hostility  and  offence.  It  was  evident 
that  preparations  were  in  readiness  to  invade  our  frontiers  by  armed 
bands  of  savages,  supported  by  disciplined  troops.  General  MONT- 
GOMERY was  therefore  despatched  to  avert  the  stroke  if  possible,  but 
if  that  should  prove  impracticable,  his  instructions  authorized  him  to 
storm  the  intermediate  posts  and  to  attack  Quebec.  His  movements 
were  characterised  no  less  by  their  efficiency  than  their  humanity. 
He  soon  reduced  Fort  Chamblee,  captured  St.  John's,  and  by  the  12th 
of  November  Montreal  also  surrendered.  On  the  1st  of  December 
he  joined  Colonel  Arnold  at  Point-aux-Trembles,  and  proceeded  to 
the  siege  of  Quebec;  but  as  his  artillery  was  not  of  sufficient  cali- 
bre to  make  the  requisite  impression,  he  determined  upon  attempting 
the  capture  of  the  place  by  storm.  The  several  divisions  were  ac- 
cordingly put  in  motion  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  snow  storm,  which 
concealed  them  from  the  enemy.  MONTGOMERY  advanced  at  the  head 
of  the  New-York  troops  along  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
assisted,  with  his  own  hands,  in  pulling  up  the  pickets  which  ob- 
structed his  approach  to  the  second  barrier,  which  he  was  resolved 
to  force.  At  this  juncture  the  only  gun  that  was  fired  from  the  bat- 
tery of  the  enemy  killed  him  and  his  two  aid-de-camps.  The  three 
fell  at  the  same  time,  and  rolled  upon  the  ice  formed  upon  the  river. 


RICHARD  MONTGOMERY. 

The  enemy  had  been  struck  with  consternation,  and  all  but  one  or 
two  had  fled.     The  death  of  the  general  saved  Quebec. 

When  he  fell,  he  was  in  a  narrow  passage ;  and  when  his  body 
was  found  the  next  morning  among  the  slain,  it  was  brought  into  the 
city  and  buried  by  a  few  soldiers  without  any  marks  of  distinction. 

General  MONTGOMERY'S  military  talents  are  admitted  on  all  hands 
to  have  been  great;  his  measures  were  taken  with  judgment  and 
executed  with  vigor.  With  undisciplined  and  raw  troops,  illy  sup- 
plied with  arms  and  ammunition,  yet  he  inspired  his  men  with  his 
own  enthusiasm;  he  led  them  in  the  coldest  season  of  the  year  to  an 
inclement  country,  shared  with  them  in  all  their  hardships,  and  to  the 
hour  of  his  death  was  the  conqueror  of  our  foes.  His  industry  could 
not  be  wearied,  nor  his  vigilance  imposed  upon.  Above  the  pride  of 
opinion,  when  a  measure  was  adopted  by  the  majority  contrary  to 
his  judgment  he  gave  it  his  full  support.  He  was  in  every  respect  ad- 
mirably calculated  to  fulfil  his  arduous  enterprise;  the  command  and 
conduct  of  the  army  formed  but  a  small  part  of  his  difficult  under- 
taking. The  Indians  were  to  be  treated  with,  restrained,  and  kept 
in  good  humor.  The  French  Canadians  were  likewise  to  be  soothed, 
protected,  and  supported;  his  own  army  required  to  be  formed,  disci- 
plined, animated,  accustomed  to  marches,  encampments,  dangers  and 
fatigues ;  and  frequently  the  want  of  necessary  supplies  demanded  in 
the  first  officer  the  courage  of  a  soldier  united  to  the  benevolence  of 
a  man.  When  the  men  labored  under  fatigue  and  wanted  bread, 
had  their  beds  to  make  in  snow  or  in  morasses,  they  disdained  com- 
plaint when  they  saw  their  commander  share  in  every  particular 
but  little  better  than  themselves.  On  one  occasion  he  says  in  a 
letter : — 

"Our  camp  is  so  swampy  I  feel  exceedingly  for  the  troops;  and 
provisions  so  scarce,  it  will  require  not  only  dispatch,  but  good  for- 
tune, to  keep  us  from  distress.  Should  things  go  well,  I  tremble  for 
the  fate  of  the  poor  Canadians  who  have  ventured  so  much.  What 
shall  I  do  with  them  should  I  be  obliged  to  evacuate  this  country? 
I  have  assured  them  that  the  United  Colonies  will  as  soon  give  up 
Massachusetts  to  resentment  as  them." 

Instead  of  making  a  merit  of  the  difficulties  of  his  campaign,  he 
sought,  in  his  letters  and  despatches,  to  conceal  them,  ascribing  the 
faults  of  his  "young  troops"  to  their  "want  of  experience,"  to  their 
hard  duty,  the  constant  succession  of  bad  weather,  &c.,  still  en- 
couraging them  to  nobler  efforts  in  future ;  and  if  any  impatience  of 
discipline  appeared,  he  attributed  it  to  "  that  spirit  of  freedom  which 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

men,  accustomed  to  think  for  themselves,  will  bring  even  into  camps 
with  them." 

His  perseverance  and  good  conduct  in  gaining  possession  of  St. 
John's  and  Montreal  were  the  theme  of  every  tongue ;  his  abilities  in 
negotiation ;  the  precision  with  which  the  various  articles  of  treaties 
and  capitulations  were  expressed;  the  generous  applause  he  gave, 
not  only  to  every  worthy  effort  of  his  own  officers,  but  to  the  com- 
manding officer  and  garrison  of  St.  John's;  his  noble  declaration  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Montreal,  that  "  the  Continental  armies  despise  every 
act  of  oppression  and  violence,  being  come  for  the  express  purpose 
of  giving  liberty  and  security ;"  all  these  did  honor  to  himself  and 
to  congress,  under  whose  authority  he  acted. 

In  a  memoir  of  General  MONTGOMERY  it  would  be  unjust  wholly 
to  omit  a  tribute  to  his  aids,  who  fell  with  him  in  Canada.  They 
were  Captains  Macpherson  and  Cheesman.  The  first,  having  finished 
his  education  at  Princeton,  studied  law  with  John  Dickinson ;  ani- 
mated by  his  example  and  precepts,  he  had  become  eminent  in  his 
profession  at  a  period  when  many  are  deemed  "  under  age."  The 
love  of  liberty  being  his  ruling  passion,  he  thought  it  his  duty  to 
offer  himself  to  the  service  of  his  country,  and  he  had  soon  an  op- 
portunity of  attaining  the  military  rank  of  which  he  was  laudably 
ambitious.  He  soon  became  the  bosom  friend  of  General  MONT- 
GOMERY, was  entrusted  with  a  share  of  his  most  important  negotia- 
tions, and  stood  by  his  side  in  the  attack  upon  Quebec;  in  death 
they  were  not  a  moment  divided. 

Captain  Cheesman,  of  the  New- York  forces,  fell  at  the  same  time, 
covered  with  honor,  and  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him  as  an  active 
and  gallant  officer.  Captain  Hendricks  also  deserves  mention ;  he 
commanded  one  of  the  Pennsylvania  rifle  companies,  and  was  a  gal- 
lant soldier.  The  command  of  the  guard  belonged  to  him  on 
the  morning  of 'the  attack;  but  he  solicited  and  obtained  leave  to 
take  a  more  conspicuous  post,  and  having  led  his  men  through  the 
barrier  where  his  commanding  officer,  General  Arnold,  was  wounded, 
he  long  sustained  the  fire  of  the  garrison  with  unshaken  firmness, 
till,  at  last,  receiving  a  shot  in  his  breast,  he  immediately  expired. 

The  sorrow  of  the  American  people  for  the  loss  of  MONTGOMERY 
was  heightened  by  the  esteem  which  his  amiable  character  had 
gained  him.  The  whole  country  mourned  his  death;  and  to  ex- 
press the  high  sense  entertained  of  his  services,  congress  directed  a 
monument  of  marble  to  be  placed  in  front  of  St.  Paul's  church  in  the 
city  of  New- York,  with  the  following  appropriate  inscription: — 


RICHARD  MONTGOMERY. 

THIS  MONUMENT 

Was  erected  by  order  of 

Congress,  25th  January,  1776, 

To  transmit  to  posterity 

A  grateful  remembrance  of  the 

Patriotism,  conduct,  enterprise,  and 

Perseverance 
Of  MAJOR-GENERAL  RICHARD  MONGOMERYJ 

Who,  after  a  series  of  success 

Amidst  the  most  discouraging  difficulties, 

Fell  in  the  attack 

On  Quebec, 

31st  December,  1775. 

Aged  37*  years. 

His  remains,  (after  resting  forty-two  years  at  Quebec,)  by  a  reso- 
lution of  the  state  of  New- York,  were  brought  to  the  city;  and  on  the 
8th  of  July,  18 18,  they  were  deposited  with  grateful  ceremonies  be- 
neath the  aforesaid  monument. 

Such  an  example  is  worthy  of  the  great  state  which  conceived  and 
executed  it.  Many  of  our  brave  men  and  legislators  of  the  era  that 
tried  men's  souls  still  slumber  in  ignoble  scites  ;  it  is  time  the  nation 
was  awakened  from  its  apathy  on  this  subject. 

As  an  appropriate  conclusion,  we  may  be  permitted  to  quote  the 
following  character  of  General  MONTGOMERY  from  Ramsay's  His- 
tory of  the  American  Revolution : — 

"  Few  men  have  ever  fallen  in  battle  so  much  regretted  by  both 
sides  as  General  MONTGOMERY.  His  many  amiable  qualities  had 
procured  him  an  uncommon  share  of  private  affection,  and  his  great 
abilities  an  equal  proportion  of  public  esteem.  Being  a  sincere  lover 
of  liberty,  he  had  engaged  in  the  American  cause  from  principle,  and 
quitted  the  enjoyment  of  an  easy  fortune  and  the  highest  domestic 
felicity,  to  take  an  active  share  in  the  fatigues  and  dangers  of  a  war 
instituted  for  the  defence  of  the  community  of  which  he  was  an 
adopted  member.  His  well-known  character  was  almost  equally 
esteemed  by  the  friends  and  foes  of  the  side  which  he  had  espoused. 


*  The  age  on  the  monument  is  37,  as  inserted  in  the  text,  hut  it  is  evidently  an  error. 
General  Armstrong,  in  his  Memoir  of  Montgomery,  says,  he  fell  "in  the  first  month  of  his 
fortieth  year."— ED. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

In  America  he  was  celebrated  as  a  martyr  to  the  liberties  of  mankind; 
in  Great  Britain,  as  a  misguided  good  man,  sacrificing  to  what  he  sup- 
posed to  be  the  rights  of  his  country.  His  name  was  mentioned  in 
parliament  with  singular  respect.  Some  of  the  most  powerful 
speakers  in  that  assembly  displayed  their  eloquence  in  sounding  his 
praise  and  lamenting  his  fate.  Those,  in  particular,  who  had  been 
his  fellow  soldiers  in  the  late  war,  expatiated  on  his  many  virtues. 
The  minister  himself  acknowledged  his  worth  while  he  reprobated 
the  cause  in  which  he  fell.  He  concluded  an  involuntary  panegyric 
by  saying — '  Curse  on  his  virtues,  they  have  undone  his  country.' " 

Such  was  General  RICHARD  MONTGOMERY;  a  name  that  we  have 
cause  to  remember  with  pride,  not  unmingled  with  regret  at  his  early 
but  honorable  death. 


CGc  (Do  " 


WILLIAM   C.  C.  CLAIBORNE. 


ON  the  20th  December,  1803,  the  beautiful,  rich,  and  extensive  region 
of  Louisiana,  having  been  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  France,  was 
formally  surrendered  to  the  republic.  The  American  commissioner  on 
this  occasion  was  invested  with  the  title  and  powers  of  intendant  and 
governor-general  of  the  province,  as  exercised  under  the  former  French 
and  Spanish  dominion.  To  him  was  conferred  almost  unbounded 
authority;  upon  him  rested  the  delicate  task  of  reconciling  to  a  new 
dominion,  and  organizing  into  a  new  government,  a  people  long  inured 
to  forms  and  usages  entirely  different.  Though  yet  but  in  the  spring 
of  life,  no  man  could  have  exercised  the  former  with  greater  mildness 
and  moderation,  none  could  have  performed  the  latter  with  more  judg- 
ment and  ability.  When  he  came,  followed  by  a  gallant  band  of 
Americans,  to  unfurl  the  banner  of  his  country  over  its  new  territories, 
all  were  pleased  with  the  blandness  of  his  manners  and  the  beauty  of 
his  person ;  all  were  astonished  to  see  so  young  a  man  invested  with 
so  high  a  trust :  but  the  subsequent  virtue  and  wisdom  of  his  measures 
during  a  long  and  tempestuous  administration  of  thirteen  years,  excited 
the  love  and  admiration  of  all,  and  have  left  in  the  memory  of  his  coun- 
trymen of  Louisiana  a  monument  more  lasting  than  the  marble  which 
they  have  consecrated  to  his  virtues.  The  American  who  in  this  high 
station  thus  did  honor  to  himself,  and  to  the  judgment  of  the  distin- 
guished statesman  who  appointed  him,  was  WILLIAM  CHARLES  COLE 
CLAIBORNE,  the  subject  of  the  present  memoir. 

Governor  CLAIBORNE  was  born  in  Virginia,  of  a  family  who  had 
been  settled  in  that  state  for  nearly  two  hundred  years.  When  the 
revolution  broke  out,  it  is  believed  that  without  an  exception  his  family 
took  the  side  of  the  people  against  arbitrary  government,  and  continued 
their  efforts,  in  common  with  their  countrymen,  until  the  glorious  result 
of  the  contest.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  at  the  close  of  the  revo- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

lution  a  mere  child,  and  hence  could  not  have  been  an  actor  in  it ;  but 
he  soon  learned  to  appreciate  the  magnitude  of  the  task  our  fathers  had 
accomplished,  and  the  perils  through  which  it  was  achieved.  His  own 
father  had  shared  its  toils,  and  it  was  the  custom  of  the  old  gentleman, 
in  his  retreat,  to  recount  to  his  children  the  exploits  of  the  American 
soldiers,  the  hardships  they  had  encountered,  the  battles  they  had 
fought,  and  the  victories  won.  All  was  painted  in  glowing  colors,  even 
to  the  horrors  of  the  prison-ships,  and  the  brutality  of  the  British  sol- 
diery, who  were  often  guilty  of  horrible  atrocities.  Endowed  with 
some  learning,  a  fine  imagination,  and  an  eloquence  bold  and  express- 
ive, he  thus  early  impressed  on  the  minds  of  his  sons  an  invincible 
attachment  to  free  government;  a  determination,  when  necessary,  to  lift 
their  arms  in  its  defence ;  and  an  abhorrence  for  whoever  would  raise  a 
parricidal  hand  upon  the  fair  fabric  of  American  liberty.  Mr.  Clai- 
borne,  however,  could  leave  no  inheritance  to  his  children,  but  educa- 
tion and  this  warm  patriotism  which  he  so  early  inspired ;  youthful 
indiscretions  in  part,  but  principally  an  honorable  zeal  in  the  service 
of  his  country,  had  dispersed  the  wealth  which  he  had  inherited  from 
his  fathers.  Thus  the  principles  of  WILLIAM,  the  second  of  his  four 
sons,  may  be  said  to  have  been  fixed  when  he  was  yet  only  eight  years 
of  age ;  they  were  then,  what  they  remained  through  life,  eminently 
republican.  At  that  early  age  he  excited  the  admiration  of  Mr.  El- 
dridge  Harris,  the  worthy  president  of  the  Richmond  academy,  when 
he  saw  this  motto  which  his  scholar  WILLIAM  had  written  in  his  Latin 
grammar,  "  Cara  patria,  carior  libertas ;  ubi  est  libertas,  ibi  est  mea 
patria." 

Young  CLAIBORNE  having  spent  a  short  time  at  the  college  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mary,  which  he  left  on  account  of  improper  conduct  of  one 
of  the  ushers  towards  him,  returned  to  the  Richmond  academy,  and 
there  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  own,  with  the  Latin  and 
Greek  languages,  and  the  most  important  branches  of  the  mathematics. 
While  at  school,  he  learned  with  great  facility,  and  was  universally 
esteemed  and  beloved  by  his  professors  and  fellow  students.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen,  he  was  apprized  that  for  his  future  establishment  in  life 
he  had  to  depend  entirely  upon  his  own  exertions ;  he  determined, 
therefore,  on  his  course,  and  carried  it  into  immediate  execution.  He 
told  his  father  he  knew  very  well  he  could  do  nothing  more  for  his 
children  than  educate  them ;  that  he  had  resolved  on  his  course,  and 
with  his  permission  would  enter  upon  it  forthwith.  "  I,"  said  he,  "  have 
some  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Beckley,  clerk  to  congress  ;  I  will  go  to 
New  York,  and  endeavor  to  get  employment  in  his  office :  if  I  succeed, 


WILLIAM   C.  C.  CLAIBORNE. 

my  fortune  is  secured ;  if  I  fail  with  him,  my  education  will  recom- 
mend me  elsewhere,  and  in  as  thriving  a  place  as  New  York,  I  can 
surely  do  something  to  support  me.  All  I  ask  is  a  small  addition  to 
my  stock  of  clothes,  and  my  passage  paid  to  New  York."  The  manly 
firmness  with  which  he  addressed  these  words  to  his  father,  the  confi- 
dence which  they  implied  in  his  abilities,  virtue,  and  energy,  excited 
the  old  man's  admiration ;  he  gazed  with  rapture  on  his  enterprising 
son,  and  the  plan  was  acceded  to.  Being  now  fixed  in  his  resolution, 
Mr.  CLAIBORNE  left  school,  having  first  delivered  a  valedictory  address 
to  the  professors  and  students.  Previous  to  the  delivery  of  this  ad- 
dress, he  had  submitted  it  to  the  inspection  of  a  learned  judge,  whose 
corrections  he  solicited ;  the  next  day  it  was  returned  with  one  or  two 
immaterial  alterations,  and  a  note  from  the  judge,  which  told  his  young 
friend  "  to  continue  moral  and  industrious,  and  he  would  become  useful 
and  celebrated  ;  his  path,  with  the  blessings  of  Providence,  would  be 
strewed  with  roses,  and  lighted  by  the  sun  of  true  glory." 

Thus  encouraged,  and  fortified  by  a  moral  and  solid  education,  with 
a  mind  embellished  with  stores  of  Grecian  and  Roman  literature,  with 
manners  urbane,  a  tall  and  manly  form,  and  a  face  uncommonly  beau- 
tiful, Mr.  CLAIBORNE,  not  yet  sixteen  years  of  age,  bade  farewell  to  his 
family,  and  took  his  departure  from  Richmond  in  a  sloop  bound  to 
New  York.  He  was  kindly  received  by  Mr.  Beckley,  who  gave  him 
immediate  employment  in  his  office.  The  business  which  devolved 
on  him,  consisted  in  copying  bills  and  resolutions  of  congress,  and 
drawing  original  bills  for  members  and  committees  of  that  body. 
These  duties  giving  occupation  to  only  half  of  his  time,  a  portion  of 
each  day  was  devoted  to  reading  political  works  of  merit,  attending  to 
the  debates  of  congress,  and  learning  the  French  language.  His  even- 
ings were  almost  invariably  consecrated  to  the  ladies,  to  whose  society 
he  was  devoted  through  life.  To  Mr.  Beckley  he  gave  entire  satis- 
faction, and  subsequently  repaid  all  the  favors  he  had  received  at  his 
hands.  Congress  soon  removed  to  Philadelphia,  and  hither  Mr.  CLAI- 
BORNE went.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  that  city,  he  became  acquainted 
with  Vice  President  Adams,  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  then  secretary  of  state. 
By  both  these  gentlemen,  he  was  treated  with  great  kindness:  he 
afterwards  proved  his  gratitude  to  both.  Hitherto,  Mr.  CLAIBORNE 
had  not  fixed  on  any  profession  on  which  to  depend  for  his  future 
establishment  in  life;  he  had  thought  of  the  navy,  the  army:  his 
dreams  were  sometimes  golden,  and  he  had  even  hoped  to  rise  in  the 
ranks  of  diplomacy.  The  bar  had  not  yet  presented  itself  to  his  mind 
in  a  tempting  light ;  inconsiderable  circumstances,  however,  have  some- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

times  a  decisive  influence  on  the  destiny  of  man  ;  Mr.  C.  had  for  some 
time  been  a  member  of  a  polemic  society,  at  which  were  discussed 
such  questions  as  from  time  to  time  agitated  the  public  mind.  At  last 
a  question  was  proposed  for  discussion  which  Mr.  C.  had  deeply  re- 
flected on ;  he  determined,  therefore,  to  enter  the  lists,  and  try  himself 
at  a  public  speech.  He  had  now  entered  his  eighteenth  year ;  we 
have  told  the  reader  that  his  person  was  fine,  his  pronunciation  was 
also  distinct,  accurate,  and  well-disciplined,  and  his  tones  of  voice 
admirably  adapted  to  public  disputation :  to  these  advantages  he  super- 
added,  without  being  himself  conscious  of  it,  that  grace  of  gesture 
which  generally  belongs  to  youth,  beauty,  and  innocence.  The  suc- 
cess of  the  effort  he  made  on  this  occasion  was  surprising ;  it  elicited 
from  a  crowded  audience  reiterated  bursts  of  approbation,  and  an 
enlightened  member  of  congress  who  was  present,  declared  "  it  shiv- 
ered to  atoms  the  arguments  of  his  opponents,  and  bore  off  the  uncon- 
tested  prize  of  superior  eloquence."  The  success  of  this  effort  gave 
an  additional  stimulus  to  his  rising  hopes,  and  he  determined  to  enter 
on  the  practice  of  the  law. 

It  should  have  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  had  become 
intimately  acquainted  with  General  John  Sevier,  then  a  delegate  in 
congress  from  the  territory,  and  afterwards  governor  of  the  state  of 
Tennessee.  A  friendship  grew  up  between  them  which  continued 
unimpaired  during  their  lives,  and  of  all  the  benefactors  Mr.  CLAI- 
BORNE met  with  in  the  beginning  of  his  career,  there  was  none  like 
this  distinguished  man,  in  the  number  and  greatness  of  his  favors. 
General  Sevier  had  frequently  advised  Mr.  C.  to  settle  in  the  territory 
south-west  of  the  Ohio ;  he  stated  the  opening  then  was  there  for  a 
lawyer,  augured  that  his  success  would  be  great,  and  tendered  his 
assistance  and  friendship.  These  flattering  assurances  determined  his 
young  friend.  He  accordingly  gave  Mr.  Beckley  notice  that  he  in- 
tended to  leave  him  as  soon  as  another  clerk  could  be  procured,  and 
in  a  short  time  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  this  good  friend  to  repair 
to  Richmond,  where  he  remained  three  months.  "  During  this  stay  in 
Richmond,"  says  his  brother,  the  Hon.  Nathaniel  Claiborne,  "  he  was 
devoted  almost  entirely  to  the  society  of  the  ladies,  and  I  have  heard 
him  repeatedly  say,  he  had  in  that  time  been  enabled  to  read  only 
through  the  revised  code,  and  a  few  chapters  in  the  first  volume  of 
Blackstone's  Commentaries.  With  this  dispreparation,  as  he  humor 
ously  called  it,  he  was  an  applicant  for  a  license,  and,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  he  passed  with  great  credit,  as  I  have  been  assured  by  a  gentle 
man  who  was  examined  and  licensed  at  the  same  time.  This  my 


WILLIAM   C.  C.  CLAIBORNE. 

brother  attributed  to  the  polemic  society  in  Philadelphia,  which  he 
considered  at  the  time  one  of  the  best  law  schools  in  the  union.  Here 
he  had  acquired  that  general  and .  enlarged  view  of  natural,  national, 
and  municipal  law,  without  labor  and  without  expense,  which  years  of 
study  could  not  have  afforded." 

The  object  in  getting  a  license  in  Virginia,  was  to  enable  him  the 
more  readily  to  obtain  admittance  to  the  territorial  bar ;  without  license 
in  another  state,  a  probationary  residence  was  required.  And  now  bid- 
ding adieu  to  the  scenes  of  his  youth,  and  the  charms  of  large  cities, 
he  directed  his  steps  to  Sullivan  county  in  the  now  state  of  Tennessee, 
and  entered  on  the  practice  of  the  law.  He  continued  at  the  bar, 
however,  only  two  years,  and  his  success  in  this  short  period  was 
equal  to  that  of  any  lawyer  who  ever  went  before  him.  No  cause  of 
moment  and  expectation  occurred  in  a  court  where  he  practised,  in 
which  he  was  not  employed.  He  was  frequently  sent  for  to  the  neigh- 
boring court  in  Virginia;  and  he  commenced  his  career  by  receiving  a 
fee  of  five  hundred  dollars,  with  his  expenses  paid,  for  coming  to  Vir- 
ginia to  defend  a  man  on  a  charge  of  murder.  At  another  time,  he 
went  two  hundred  miles  to  argue  a  case,  in  the  decision  of  which  was 
involved  property  to  an  immense  amount,  on  the  promise  of  a  fee  so 
large,  that  Mr.  C.  refused  to  receive  it,  although  the  cause  was  gained, 
and  took  only  an  elegant  horse  in  lieu  thereof.  Instead  of  devoting, 
as  heretofore,  much  of  his  time  to  gay  amusements,  he  was  now  occu- 
pied with  his  books,  and  had  already  raised  himself  to  the  first  rank  in 
his  profession ;  as  an  advocate  in  a  criminal  case,  it  is  said  he  stood 
unrivalled.  Juries  have  been  often  dissolved  in  tears,  and  enlightened 
tribunals  have  been  deeply  moved  by  his  touching  eloquence.  He 
now  determined  to  move  back  to  Richmond,  and  enter  on  the  practice 
of  the  law  there.  "  My  brother,"  says  Mr.  Nathaniel  Claiborne,  "  had 
a  quickness  of  comprehension,  a  goodness  of  heart,  and  a  laudable 
ambition  to  be  distinguished,  in  a  degree  we  rarely  meet  with ;  but 
unfortunately  he  was  constitutionally  lazy,  and  when  we  see  him 
marching  with  giant  strides  to  eminence  in  his  profession,  we  are  con- 
strained to  acknowledge  that  he  was  urged  on  by  the  joint  influence 
of  virtuous  ambition  and  hard  necessity.  He  was  attached  to  Virginia, 
and  had  left  it  with  regret.  The  very  trees  that  had  shaded  him  from 
the  summer  heat  were  to  him  objects  of  veneration ;  these,  were  the 
beautiful  seats  of  his  early  ancestors  :  they  have  long  since  passed 
into  other  hands,  but  the  everlasting  marble  records  the  names  of  the 
first  proprietors.  There  he  had  received  his  earliest  instruction,  and 
enjoyed  the  society  of  friends  who  loved  him.  The  determination  of 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS.' 

ray  brother  to  return  was  heard  by  the  family  with  enthusiastic  plea- 
sure, and  as  the  pressure  on  him  for  exertion  would  be  greater,  those 
who  knew  the  powers  of  his  mind  were  convinced  that  he  must 
succeed." 

An  occurrence  now  took  place  which  caused  the  resolution  to 
remove  to  Richmond  to  be  abandoned.  The  population  of  the  terri- 
tory having  been  ascertained  to  amount  to  seventy-five  thousand,  they 
demanded  admission  into  the  union,  and  a  convention  was  called  to 
form  a  state  constitution.  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  was  proposed  and  elected 
one  of  the  five  members  for  Sullivan  county. 

In  the  convention  which  soon  after  assembled,  he  appeared  to  great 
advantage.  It  was  an  enlightened  body,  and  the  constitution  that 

.  issued  from  their  hands  is  based  upon  the  truest  principles  of  liberty ; 
in  the  formation  of  this  constitution,  WILLIAM  C.  C.  CLAIBORNE  had  a 
principal  agency.  The  education  he  had  received,  the  books  he  had 
read,  the  political  circles  he  had  frequented,  all  conspired  to  give  him 
an  imposing  stand.  He  now  stood  for  the  first  time  before  a  whole 
state,  and  the  goodness  of  his  heart  and  the  magnitude  of  the  object, 
united  to  bring  into  action  all  the  powers  of  his  mind.  His  merit  was 
universally  acknowledged.  Governor  Blount  declared,  that  making 
the  necessary  allowance  for  his  youth,  he  was  the  most  extraordinary 
man  he  had  met  with,  and  that  if  he  lived  to  attain  the  age  of  fifty, 
nothing  but  prejudice  could  prevent  his  becoming  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished political  characters  in  America.  In  the  convention  of  Ten- 
nessee, he  began  his  political  career,  and  without  intermission  he  was 
thereafter  in  public  life.  General  Sevier  was  elected  governor  of  the 
new  state  of  Tennessee,  and  among  his  first  acts  was  the  appointment 
of  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  as  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  law  and  equity 
of  the  state.  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  was  urged  by  his  friends  not  to  accept ; 
but  in  vain.  "  My  motto,"  said  he,  "  is  honor  and  not  money ;  Go- 
vernor Sevier  is  my  friend,  and  if  I  can,  I  am  bound  to  aid  his  admin- 
istration." At  the  time  of  his  appointment  to  a  judgeship,  and  that  too 
in  the-highest  tribunal  in  the  state,  he  was  not  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
He  continued  but  a  short  time  in  this  office,  when  a  vacancy  occurring 
in  the  house  of  representatives  of  the  United  States,  at  the  solicitation 
of  several  gentlemen  who  had  served  with  him  in  the  convention,  he 

'  resigned  his  seat  on  the  bench  and  became  a  candidate  for  congress. 
He  was  elected  by  an  immense  majority  over  his  opponent,  who  was 
a  man  of  talent,  of  great  wealth,  and  extensive  connections.  A  few 
days  after  his  election  to  congress,  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  entered  his  twenty- 
third  year.  This  astonishing  and  rapid  promotion  becomes  still  more 


WILLIAM    C.  C.  CLAIBORNE. 

surprising,  when  we  consider  that  he  had  but  recently  come  into  the 
district,  that  he  was  poor,  and  had  not  the  advantage  of  any  kindred 
blood,  even  in  the  most  remote  degree,  in  the  state  of  Tennessee. 
During  the  first  congress  that  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  sat  in,  he  participated 
little  in  debate,  but  enough  to  show  that  he  was  an  acquisition  to  the 
republican  party.  On  the  bill  providing  for  the  military  establishment, 
however,  the  talents  of  the  house  were  brought  out,  and  the  strength 
of  parties  put  to  trial.  On  this  occasion,  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  delivered  his 
sentiments ;  his  speech  was  adorned  with  the  choicest  flowers  of  an- 
cient and  modern  literature ;  it  showed  a  heart  deeply  convinced,  and 
earnestly  engaged  in  convincing  others  ;  and  if  it  discovered  on  its  face 
less  labor  than  other  speeches  bespoke,  it  was  exempt  from  the  venom 
which  conflicting  political  prejudices  had  on  this  occasion  developed  : 
and  the  spirit  of  benevolence  which  it  breathed,  with  the  classic  purity 
of  the  style,  recommended  it  to  general  attention.  A  listener  thus 
described  it :  "  It  seemed  to  be  a  spontaneous  effort,  the  object  was  to 
persuade  and  convince,  not  to  surprise ;  it  had  passion  and  feeling  in 
every  sentence,  but  it  was  the  passion  of  the  heart ;  satisfied  he  was 
right,  he  was  bent  on  the  conviction  of  others.  So  earnest  was  Mr. 
C.,  that  he  forced  himself  on  the  affection  of  the  most  indifferent,  and 
excited  the  enthusiastic  admiration  of  his  friends  :  though  he  was  zeal- 
ous, it  was  without  bustle  ;  he  was  ardent,  but  not  acrimonious  ;  and 
if  he  fell  short  of  some  of  the  veterans  who  preceded  him,  you  were 
loath  to  make  the  admission,  while  you  reflected  that  he  was  the 
youngest  man  who  had  ever  appeared  on  the  floor  of  congress." 

The  constitution  had  not  required  that  the  electors  should  designate 
on  their  tickets  the  person  they  voted  for  as  president,  and  the  one 
voted  for  as  vice  president,  but  simply  that  they  should  give  their  votes 
for  two  persons  ;  that  the  one  having  the  highest  number  of  votes 
should  be  president,  and  the  one  having  the  next  highest  should  be 
vice  president.  Now  it  so  happened,  that  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Burr 
had  an  equal  number  of  votes,  and  it  devolved  on  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives to  decide  which  of  them  should  be  president,  the  choice  to 
be  made  by  ballot,  and  each  state  in  the  union  to  have  but  one  vote. 
The  contest  was  extremely  animated,  for  on  this  occasion  the  great 
federal  and  republican  parties  came  into  violent  conflict.  It  was  clear 
that  Jefferson  had  been  voted  for  as  president,  and  Burr,  vice  president; 
they  had  been  so  nominated  before  the  election,  and  in  every  vote 
given  for  the  two,  Jefferson  was  first  named ;  when,  therefore,  it  was 
understood  that  they  were  returned  with  an  equal  number  of  votes  to 
the  house  of  representatives,  it  was  supposed  of  course  that  the  public 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

voice  would  be  obeyed,  and  Jefferson  made  president.  The  federal 
party,  however,  determined  to  support  Colonel  Burr ;  they  knew  very 
well  the  political  sentiments  of  every  member  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, and  they  early  ascertained  that  the  election  depended  on  the 
vote  of  Mr.  CLAIBORNE,  the  sole  representative  from  the  state  of  Ten- 
nessee. Mr.  C.,  who,  on  this  occasion  had  been  reflected  to  congress, 
was  young  and  aspiring ;  the  federal  party  knew,  too,  that  he  was  poor. 
They  flattered  themselves  that  his  vote  might  be  secured,  and  indi- 
rectly proffered  various  temptations  to  obtain  it.  But  Mr.  CLAIBORNE 
was  too  firm  to  be  brought  over  :  he  knew  the  public  voice,  and  thought 
it  honorable  and  proper  to  obey  it.  The  day  at  last  arrived,  when  this 
great  question  of  the  presidency  was  to  be  decided,  and  the  states 
were  equally  divided  on  the  first  ballot ;  several  other  ballots  took 
place,  and  the  result  was  the  same,  when  the  house  adjourned.  The 
news  spread  through  the  union  like  fire,  and  everywhere  produced 
the  liveliest  sensation.  The  importance  of  Mr.  CLAIBORNE'S  vote  was 
so  well  understood,  that  he  went  armed  to  the  house  ;  for  what  might 
occur  from  the  extraordinary  excitement  that  prevailed,  no  one  could 
foresee  :  rumors  were  even  afloat  that  the  parties  in  the  country  were 
beginning  to  arm. 

For  several  days,  congress,  and  the  country  around,  were  a  scene 
of  terrible  confusion :  thirty-six  ballots  had  been  had,  and  the  result 
was  the  same  ;  an  equality  of  votes  for  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Burr. 
On  every  ballot,  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  had  voted  for  Jefferson,  and  declared 
that  as  he  felt  satisfied  that  that  gentleman  was  the  choice  of  the  people, 
he  was  determined  to  adhere  to  him,  let  the  consequences  be  what 
they  would.  On  the  thirty-seventh  ballot,  the  state  of  Vermont,  that 
had  hitherto  voted  for  Colonel  Burr,  threw  in  a  blank  ballot,  and  Jef- 
ferson was  elected.  Mr.  C.  did  what  he  considered  his  duty  with  a 
determined  mind,  and  to  his  vote  was  owing,  in  a  great  measure,  the 
result  of  this  important  contest. 

Mr.  CLAIBORNE  remained  but  a  short  time  after  this  in  congress.  A 
serious  misunderstanding  having  arisen  between  the  people  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi territory  and  their  then  governor,  many  distinguished  individ- 
uals of  that  country  signified  a  wish  for  the  appointment  of  Mr.  C.  as 
their  governor,  and,  in  conformity  therewith,  he  received  and  accepted 
an  appointment  to  that  office  in  1801,  from  President  Jefferson. 

Mr.  CLAIBORNE  proceeded  to  his  new  government  with  all  possible 
despatch.  He  reached  the  beautiful  hills  of  Natchez  on  the  23d  of 
November,  where  he  was  received  with  enthusiasm,  and  he  imme- 
diately entered  with  zeal  upon  the  duties  of  his  charge. 


WILLIAM  C.  C.  CLAIBORNE. 

On  his  arrival,  he  had  found  the  infant  community  over  which  he 
was  to  preside  torn  by  local  dissensions  and  personal  animosities  ;  by 
these  different  factions  he  was  hailed  with  gladness,  each  hoping  to 
make  of  him  the  instrument  of  separate  views  or  private  vengeance ; 
but  he  repelled  all  such  attempts  with  firmness,  though  mildly,  and 
taking  sides  with  none,  he  made  it  his  duty  to  hear  all  parties :  to 
sooth  and  conciliate  all,  but  to  act  for  himself,  with  independence, 
impartiality,  and  justice. 

Mr.  CLAIBORNE  had  lately  married  Miss  Eliza  Lewis,  of  Nashville. 
She  was  tall  and  graceful,  with  perfect  symmetry  of  feature,  and  her 
wealthy  and  indulgent  parents  had  early  procured  for  her  those  advan- 
tages of  education  that  add  new  charms  to  the  female  character.  Thus 
blessed  with  the  affections  of  an  amiable  wife,  in  possession  of  an  inde- 
pendent fortune,  and  without  an  enemy  on  earth,  Mr.  C.  spent  two 
years  most  happily  as  governor  of  the  Mississippi  territory ;  and  how 
far  he  enjoyed  the  love  and  confidence  of  the  people  during  this  period, 
may  be  seen  by  the  following  address,  which  he  received  after  he 
had  repaired  to  New  Orleans,  on  a  mission  of  still  higher  importance. 

"  To  His  Excellency  WILLIAM  C.  C.  CLAIBORNE,  governor  of  the  Mississippi  territory, 
exercising  the  powers  of  governor-general  and  intendant  of  the  province  of  Louisiana : 

"  The  exertions  of  a  public  officer  to  confer  happiness  on  the  community  by  dispensing 
equal  and  impartial  justice,  and  preserving  unimpaired  the  constitutional  liberties  of  the 
people,  deserve  the  return  of  grateful  acknowledgments.  The  citizens  of  Washington  and 
its  vicinity,  therefore,  pray  your  excellency  to  accept  their  undivided  approbation  of  the  firm 
and  dignified  measures  of  your  late  administration  in  this  territory.  If  integrity  of  conduct, 
united  to  an  enlightened  mind  filled  with  benevolence  and  universal  philanthropy,  are  worthy 
of  eulogium,  all  that  those  virtues  merit  we  offer  you  as  a  just  tribute. 

"  We  congratulate  your  excellency  on  the  unanimity  and  harmony  with  which  the  Ameri- 
can government  is  received  by  our  new  fellow-citizens  of  Louisiana ;  this  great  and  interest- 
ing event  cannot  fail  to  exhibit  '  the  fairest  page  in  the  volume  of  faithful  history ;'  and  the 
high  characters  who  so  ably  managed  the  negotiation,  from  its  commencement  to  the  ever 
memorable  surrender  on  the  20th  day  of  December  last,  will  share  the  warmest  affection  of 
the  American  people. 

"  On  this  auspicious  occasion,  we  reflect  with  honest  pride  and  exultation,  that  in  dis- 
charging the  highest  trust  and  confidence  reposed  in  your  excellency  by  the  president  of  the 
United  States,  nothing  has  appeared  repugnant  to  the  principles  of  inflexible  justice,  mingled 
with  humanity.  We  earnestly  desire  the  return  of  your  excellency  to  the  Mississippi  terri- 
tory. We  anticipate  no  change  by  which  we  can  gain  either  a  better  friend,  or  a  more 
patriotic  governor ;  but  should  the  general  government  require  your  aid  in  another  quarter, 
we  tender  you  this  pledge  of  undissembled  friendship,  and  a  sincere  wish  that  you  may  ever 
continue  to  merit  and  obtain  the  confidence  of  your  country." 

In  this  conspicuous  station,  the  highest  in  the  gift  of  the  general 
government,  and  to  discharge  which  required  judgment,  prudence,  and 
ability,  far  beyond  the  lot  of  ordinary  men,  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  had  a  diffi- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

cult  and  perplexing  task  to  perform.  He  had  found  the  province  of 
Louisiana  in  some  parts  almost  fallen  into  anarchy,  and  throughout  the 
administration  every  thing  to  reform  or  reorganize.  Gdvernment  had 
scarcely  a  nerve  not  wounded  by  corruption,  and  the  business  in  every 
department  was  wrapped  in  mystery  and  intrigue,  and  had  been  left  in 
confusion  often  inexplicable.  Under  the  last  Spanish  governor,  not 
only  many  posts  of  honor  and  profit  in  his  gift  were  sold,  but  even 
when  exercising  the  sacred  character  of  a  judge,  he  often  vended  his 
decisions  to  the  highest  bidder.  Such  being  the  character  of  the  head, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  same  depravities  pervaded  every  branch  of 
the  system.  The  Louisianians,  however,  were  a  well-disposed  and 
generous  people ;  the  greater  part  gave  a  cheerful  and  sincere  wel- 
come to  the  American  government  and  its  new  institutions  ;  but  gener- 
ally their  defect  of  education,  which  had  been  the  policy  of  their  former 
rulers,  their  ignorance  of  the  English  language,  and  especially  of  poli- 
tical affairs,  rendered  them  credulous,  and  often  liable  to  become  dupes 
to  the  machinations  of  individuals,  who  for  their  own  ends  are  ever 
busy  in  exciting  discontent  in  the  public  mind. 

Thus  Governor  CLAIBORNE  soon  had  to  contend  against  the  most 
unprincipled  intrigues  and  factions,  directed  principally  by  some  of  his 
own  ambitious  countrymen,  who  had  emigrated  to  the  new  territory, 
and  who,  envious  of  his  authority  and  high  station,  used  every  means 
to  thwart  his  administration,  and  to  destroy  him  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people  and  of  his  government.  So  violent  were  these  attacks,  that  the 
governor  was  brought  to  the  field,  to  defend  his  character  against  the 
calumnies  of  a  Mr.  Daniel  Clarke,  who,  by  his  wealth,  his  ambition, 
and  his  talent  for  intrigue,  had  acquired  some  influence  in  the  country. 
He  was  severely  wounded  on  this  occasion,  and  confined  a  long  time 
to'  his  bed ;  but  he  sustained  himself  in  his  station,  and  persisted  in  his 
honorable  course.  He  made  it  his  especial  care  to  protect  and  encour- 
age the  people  he  had  been  sent  to  govern ;  he  used  every  means  in 
his  power  to  conciliate  them  to  their  American  countrymen,  and  to 
spread  among  them  the  blessings  of  education,  and  of  that  political 
information,  which  alone  could  enable  them  to  govern  themselves,  and 
to  use  and  appreciate  properly  the  great  privileges  of  freemen,  which 
they  were  to  enjoy.  He  became  sincerely  attached  to  these  his  adopt- 
ed countrymen ;  and  from  the  purity  of  his  character,  the  mildness  of 
his  official  and  private  conduct,  and  the  benevolence  that  beamed  from 
his  noble  countenance,  no  man  was  better  calculated  to  have  reconciled 
and  attached  this  new  and  foreign  people  to  the  government  he  repre- 
sented. The  Louisianians  often  proved  their  attachment  to  him,  and 


WILLIAM  C.  C.  CLAIBORNE. 

when  they  were  admitted  into  the  union  as  an  independent  state  in 
1812,  they  sanctioned  the  choice  of  the  general  government,  by  elect- 
ing him  governor,  by  their  own  free,  and  almost  unanimous  voice. 

Mr.  CLAIBORNE,  however,  during  this  period  had  met  with  many 
private  misfortunes.  During  the  first  summer  in  which  he  had  been 
exposed  to  that  climate  so  baneful  to  strangers,  he  had  nearly  suc- 
cumbed himself  to  an  attack  of  the  yellow  fever ;  his  lady  fell  a  victim 
to  that  fatal  disease,  his  infant  daughter  accompanied  her  mother,  and 
his  brother-in-law  young  Lewis,  who  had  followed  him  to  Louisiana, 
fell  in  a  duel.  All  three  had  expired  on  the  same  day,  and  were  con- 
signed to  the  same  tomb.  When  time  had  allayed  the  grief  of  this 
great  calamity,  Mr.  C.  subsequently  married  Miss  Clarissa  Duralde,  a 
young  Creole  lady  of  great  beauty  and  mental  qualities,  whom  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  also,  two  years  after  marriage.  His  situation 
rendering  the  position  of  a  single  life  in  some  measure  unbecoming, 
he  again  married,  in  1812,  Miss  Bosque,  an  accomplished  lady  of 
Spanish  extraction,  by  whom  he  is  survived. 

In  1814  and  '15,  during  the  memorable  invasion  of  that  state  by  the 
English,  Mr.  CLAIBORNE  was  still  in  the  executive  chair  of  Louisiana, 
and  had  been  active  and  highly  instrumental  in  preparing  the  military 
defence  of  the  country,  and  giving  to  General  Jackson,  previous  to  his 
arrival  on  that  station,  all  the  necessary  information  relative  thereto. 
He,  however,  voluntarily  surrendered  to  the  general,  when  he  arrived, 
the  command  of  the  militia  of  his  state,  and  consented  himself  to  re- 
ceive his  orders ;  a  measure  which  he  thought  a  just  tribute  to  the 
military  experience  of  General  Jackson,  and  which  he  adopted,  also,  to 
avoid  to  his  state  all  the  expenses  of  the  equipment  and  movements  of 
her  militia,  which  would  have  fallen  upon  her  alone  had  he  kept  the 
command.  Thus,  to  his  great  regret,  it  was  not  the  fortune  of  Gov- 
ernor CLAIBORNE  to  have  participated  personally  in  the  glorious  contest 
of  the  8th  of  January.  He  was  marching  rapidly,  to  join  in  the  action 
of  the  23d  of  December,  at  the  head  of  a  select  corps  of  Louisiana 
militia,  eager  to  meet  the  enemy,  when  he  received  orders  from  Gene- 
ral Jackson  to  turn  back  immediately,  and  repair  with  his  troops  to 
Gentilly,  to  occupy  the  important  pass  of  Chef-Menteur,  where  it  was 
feared  that  the  English  had  made  a  diversion ;  he  obeyed,  and  reluct- 
antly directed  his  march  to  that  station,  which  he  fortified,  and  remain- 
ed in  that  command  during  the  whole  contest,  which  terminated  in  the 
memorable  battle  of  New  Orleans.  Previous  to  this,  an  occurrence 
had  taken  place,  which  may  be  worthy  here  of  insertion.  All  have 
heard  of  the  adventurer  Lafitte,  whose  piratical  character  was  some- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

what  extenuated  by  many  traits  of  valor  and  generosity,  and  against 
whose  depredations  in  our  southern  seas,  the  efforts  of  Governor  CLAI- 
BORNE  and  of  the  general  government  had  been  long  directed,  with 
but  little  success.  The  British  commander  of  the  naval  expedition 
against  Louisiana,  aware  of  the  intrepidity  of  this  buccaneer,  and  of 
his  perfect  topographical  knowledge  of  this  region,  when  he  approach- 
ed the  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  addressed  a  letter  to  Lafitte,  offering 
a  large  sum  of  money,  and  a  captaincy  in  the  British  navy,  for  his  aid 
and  counsel  to  the  invading  expedition.  Lafitte  rejected  with  contempt 
these  offers  ;  to  prove  his  sincerity,  he  immediately  sent  the  letter  of 
the  British  commander  to  Governor  CLAIBORNE,  by  a  confidential 
agent,  and  tendered  his  services  with  those  of  his  band  to  the  Ameri- 
can government,  provided  all  criminal  prosecutions  against  them  by 
the  United  States  should  be  suspended.  The  governor  immediately 
accepted  the  proposal,  upon  consultation  with  the  proper  authorities. 
Lafitte  and  his  determined  band  were  admitted  into  our  ranks,  and 
subsequently  rendered  the  most  efficient  services  at  the  head  of  our 
artillery ;  we  need  not  say  that  they  obtained  the  pardon  which  their 
conduct  merited. 

In  1817,  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  governor  of  the  state,  Mr. 
CLAIBORNE  was  elected  to  represent  Louisiana  in  the  senate  of  the 
United  States  ;  but  fate  had  here  decreed  a  premature  end  to  his 
career :  he  died  in  New  Orleans,  of  a  liver  complaint,  on  the  23d  of 
November,  1817,  and  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age.  All  ranks 
attended  his  remains  to  the  grave  with  undissembled  grief.  The 
municipal  authorities  on  the  same  day  decreed  a  public  mourning^and 
appropriated  a  sum  of  money  to  erect  a  marble  monument  to  his 
memory. 

Thus  guided  by  the  firm  integrity,  the  virtue,  and  the  sincere  and 
warm  devotion  to  his  country,  which  particularly  distinguished  him,, 
Governor  CLAIBORNE  had  sustained  his  character  throughout  his  event 
ful  administration,  as  a  pure  and  devoted,  an  able^dignified,  and  vir- 
tuous chief  magistrate.  It  was  his  lot  to  have  been  at  the  helm  of  the 
important  post  of  Louisiana  during  all  the  critical  periods  of  our  early 
collisions  with  Spain  upon  our  southern  frontiers,  of  the  Burr  conspir 
acy,  and  of  the  invasion  of  Louisiana  by  a  British  army.  In  all  these 
circumstances,  he  remained  the  able  agent,  and  the  faithful  sentinel  of 
his  country  upon  the  outskirts  of  the  union.  No  man  had  ever  enjoyed 
greater  honors  at  so  early  an  age  :  seldom  has  virtue  been  rewarded  by 
a  more  rapid  and  brilliant  career.  /C.  • . 


12 


&:••.        m 


•'*  «     '  ;i 


4* 


A 


MRS.    ABIGAIL    ADAMS. 


Mrs.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS,  wife  of  John  Adams,  second  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  one  of  three  daughters  of  William  Smith,  minister 
of  a  Congregational  church  at  Weymouth  in  the  Colony  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay;  and  of  Elizabeth  Quincy,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  John 
Qnincy,  the  proprietor  of  Mount  Wollaston.  This  spot,  situated  on 
the  sea-shore  in  the  Bay  of  Boston,  about  seven  miles  south-east  of 
that  city,  was  the  seat  of  a  settlement  by  Thomas  Wollaston  and 
thirty  of  his  associates  in  1625,  five  years  before  that  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Colony.  Wollaston  abandoned  his  settlement  the  next  year, 
and  left  part  of  his  men  under  the  command  of  Thomas  Morton. 
The  settlement  itself  was  broken  up  by  Governor  Winthrop  in  the 
Summer  of  1630,  shortly  after  the  landing  of  his  Colony.  Mount 
Wollaston  was  in  1634  made  part  of  Boston,  and  the  land  was 
granted  to  William  Coddington.  He  soon  after  sold  it  to  William 
Ting,  one  of  the  principal  merchants  of  Boston,  and  one  of  the  four 
first  representatives  of  the  town  in  the  General  Court.  Ting  had 
four  daughters,  between  whom,  after  his  decease,  his  inheritance  was 
divided.  One  of  those  daughters  married  Thomas  Shepard,  the  cele- 
brated minister  of  Charlestown  ;  and  in  the  distribution  of  the  estates, 
the  farm  at  Mount  Wollaston  was  assigned  to  her.  Her  daughter, 
Anna,  married  Daniel  Quincy,  son  of  the  second  Edmund  Q,uincy, 
and  was  the  mother  of  Colonel  John  Q,uincy.  Mrs.  Anna  Shepard 
survived  her  son-in-law,  and  at  her  decease  bequeathed  the  estate  at 
Mount  Wollaston  to  his  son  John  Q,uincy,  then  a  student  at  Harvard 
College.  In  1716  he  married  Elizabeth  Norton,  daughter  of  John 
Norton,  minister  of  the  first  Congregational  church  at  Hingham,  a  town 
distant  about  six  miles  south-east  of  Mount  Wollaston.  Elizabeth 
Quincy  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  this  marriage,  and  in  1742  became 
the  wife  of  William  Smith. 

Abigail  Smith,  second  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Smith, 
was  born  on  the  ii  of  November,  the  day  dedicated  in  the  Roman 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

calendar  to  Saint  Cecilia,  1774.  Her  father,  grandfather,  and  great 
grandfather,  had  all  been  educated  at  Harvard  College.  The  Shep- 
ards  and  the  Nortons  are  commemorated  among  the  most  learned  and 
talented  of  the  clergymen  who  held  so  conspicuous  a  place  in  the 
primitive  settlement  of  New  England.  Thomas  Shepard,  the  father 
of  him  who  married  Anna  Ting,  is  known  from  the  Magnalia  of 
Cotton  Mather  as  one  of  the  shining  lights  of  the  Reformation.  His 
son  was  scarcely  less  distinguished,  but  died  in  the  prime  of  life. 
That  they  are  yet  held  in  affectionate  remembrance,  is  in  evidence 
from  the  very  recent  fact,  that  a  church  adhering  to  the  primitive 
Puritan  doctrines,  at  Cambridge,  has  assumed  and  bears  their  name. 
John  Norton,  the  minister  of  Hingham,  was  a  nephew  of  his  name- 
sake, illustrious  in  the  history  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  and  was 
himself  many  years  eminent  among  the  pastoral  teachers  of  his  age 
and  country.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  Abigail  Smith,  John 
Q,uincy,  had  been  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1708.  Her  father, 
William  Smith,  in  1725.  From  this  line  of  ancestry,  it  may  justly 
be  inferred  that  the  family  associations  of  Abigail  Smith  were  from 
her  infancy  among  those  whose  habits,  feelings,  and  tastes  are  marked 
by  the  love  and  cultivation  of  literature  and  learning.  The  only 
learned  profession  in  the  first  century  of  the  settlement  of  New  Eng- 
land was  that  of  the  clergy.  The  law  formed  no  distinct  profession, 
and  the  lawyers  were  little  esteemed.  Science  was  scarcely  better 
cultivated  by  the  practitioners  of  the  medical  art ;  but  religion  was 
esteemed  among  the  most  important  of  worldly  concerns,  and  the 
controversial  spirit  with  which  it  was  taught,  and  which  was  at  once 
the  cause  and  effect  of  the  Protestant  reformation,  stimulated  the  thirst 
for  learning,  and  sharpened  the  appetite  for  the  studies  by  which  it 
is  acquired. 

The  importance  of  learning  and  of  literature  to  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion, and  the  entire  dependence  of  practical  morals  upon  religions 
principle,  were  so  well  understood  by  the  first  founders  of  New  Eng- 
land, that  the  settlers  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony  had  scarcely 
thrown  up  sheds  and  piled  log-houses  to  shelter  their  bodies  from  the 
storm,  before  their  thoughts  turned  to  the  erection  of  the  edifice  which 
should  serve  them  and  their  children  for  the  habitation  of  the  mind. 
In  1634  they  made  an  appropriation  for  a  school  at  Newtown,  and 
in  1638  John  Harvard,  himself  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  their 
ministers,  bequeathed  at  his  decease  the  sum  of  £779. 17s.  2d.  for  the 
establishment  of  a  college  for  the  education  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 
The  bequest  was  immediately  carried  into  effect.  In  1642  the  first 


MRS.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

class  was  graduated — the  town  where  the  college  was  situated 
received  the  name  of  Cambridge  from  that  in  England,  where  all  the 
religious  teachers  of  the  Colony  had  been  educated  ;  and  the  College 
of  Harvard,  made  by  the  Constitution  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts an  university,  bears  the  name  of  its  founder  in  glory  from 
age  to  age  down  to  the  extinction  of  time. 

But  in  providing  for  the  education  of  learned  ministers  of  the  Gos- 
pel, the  Puritan  fathers  of  New  England  were  not  equally  solicitous 
to  cultivate  and  adorn  the  minds  of  their  daughters.  The  education 
of  women  was  not  neglected,  but  was  generally  confined  to  the 
concerns  of  the  household.  The  women,  indeed,  mingled  in  the 
religious  controversies  of  the  first  Colonial  age,  more  perhaps  than 
was  conducive  to  their  own  happiness  or  to  the  tranquillity  of  their 
relatives ;  but  the  example  and  the  fate  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson  and  of 
her  doctrines,  appears  to  have  operated  rather  as  a  warning  than  as 
an  example  to  the  women  of  the  succeeding  age.  For  the  practice 
of  the  learned  professions,  women  are  by  their  sex  as  effectually  un- 
fitted as  for  fighting  battles,  holding  the  plough,  felling  the  forest,  or 
navigating  the  ocean. 

The  education  of  the  daughters  of  Mr.  Smith  was  in  their  father's 
house,  with  such  advantages  as  a  country  clergyman  in  a  village  of 
New  England,  towards  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  could 
afford.  It  was  about  that  time  that  Goldsmith,  in  his  Deserted  Tillage, 
and  in  his  Vicar  of  Wakefield,  painted  to  the  life  that  condition  in 
human  society,  and  that  class  of  characters  formed  by  it,  of  which 
Mr.  Smith  and  his  family  might  have  served  as  the  originals. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1764,  in  the  twentieth  year  of  her  age, 
Miss  Abigail  Smith  was  married  to  John  Adams,  then  an  attorney  at 
law  residing  in  Braintree,  the  town  adjoining  to  Weymouth,  and 
then  rising  to  great  eminence  at  the  bar.  He  had  until  then  devoted 
himself,  with  the  most  indefatigable  industry,  to  the  studies  and  the 
practice  of  his  profession  for  about  seven  years,  taking  little  part  in 
the  politics  of  the  time.  The  subject  of  politics,  in  its  most  compre- 
hensive sense,  had,  however,  furnished  a  source  of  profound  medita- 
tion to  his  mind  for  many  years  before  that  of  his  marriage.  His 

letter  of September,  1755,  from  Worcester  to  Nathan  Webb,  has 

been  called  a  literary  phenomenon.  A  shorter  and  far  more  care- 
lessly written  letter,  in  December  1761,  is  perhaps  not  less  charac- 
teristic. 

In  November  1762,  Miss  Smith's  elder  sister,  Mary,  had  been  mar- 
ried to  Richard  Cranch,  a  native  of  Devonshire  in  England,  who  had 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

emigrated  to  this  country  in  early  youth,  and  was  then  settled  at 
German  town,  part  of  the  town  of  Braintree.  In  December  1761, 
Mr.  Adams  was  upon  a  visit  to  Mr.  Cranch  at  his  house  in  German- 
town  ;  Mr.  Cranch  having  an  opportunity  to  enclose  a  letter  which 
he  had  received  the  day  before  for  Miss  Mary  Smith,  put  it  under  a 
cover  thus  addressed  : — 

"Miss  Polly  Smith,  Weymouth. 

"  Germantown,  Dec.  3Qth.  1761 
"  DEAR  Miss  POLLY, 

"  I  was  at  Boston  yesterday,  and  saw  your  brother,  who  was  well. 
I  have  but  a  moment's  notice  of  an  opportunity  of  sending  to  you  the 
enclosed,  which  I  took  at  your  uncle  Edward's. 

"  I  am,  with  compliments  to  your  family, 
"  Your  affectionate  humble  servant, 

"  R.  CRANCH." 

Under  which  Mr.  Adams  wrote  as  follows : — 

"DEAR  DITTO, 

"  Here  we  are,  Dick  and  Jack,  as  happy  as  the  wickedness  and 
folly  of  this  world  will  allow  philosophers.  Our  good  wishes  are 
poured  forth  for  the  felicity  of  you,  your  family,  and  neighbors.  My — 
I  don't  know  what — to  Miss  Nabby  ;  tell  her  I  hear  she's  about  com- 
mencing a  most  loyal  subject  to  young  George,  and  although  my  al- 
legiance has  been  hitherto  inviolate,  I  shall  endeavor  all  in  my 
power  to  foment  rebellion. 

«J.  ADAMS." 

To  account  for  the  preservation  of  this  cover  of  a  letter,  not  by  the 
lady  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  but  by  her  younger  sister,  then  the 
loyal  subject  of  young  George,  it  may  be  necessary  to  remember  that 
she  was  then  just  turned  of  seventeen  ;  that  it  was  shortly  after  the 
accession  of  George  the  Third  to  the  throne ;  and  that  nearly  three 
years  after,  on  the  25th  of  October,  1 764,  she  married  the  instigator 
to  rebellion. 

The  year  1765  is  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  world,  and  es- 
pecially in  that  of  the  United  States  and  that  of  Great  Britain,  as  the 
year  in  which  the  British  Parliament  enacted  the  Stamp  Act.  Until 
that  time  Mr.  Adams  had  taken  little  part  in  political  affairs :  his 
whole  soul  had  been  absorbed  in  the  study  and  practice  of  his  pro- 


MRS.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

fession.  But  from  the  period  of  the  Stamp  Act  he  devoted  himself  to 
the  cause  of  his  country.  In  August  of  that  year,  in  the  midst  of  the 
violent  fermentation  occasioned  by  the  resistance  of  the  people  to  the 
execution  of  the  Stamp  Act,  he  published,  in  a  Boston  newspaper,  the 
Dissertation  on  the  Canon  and  Feudal  Law,  in  which  the  right  of 
popular  resistance  against  oppression  is  laid  down  as  distinctly  as  in 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  almost  in  the  same  terms. 
The  right  and  the  determination  of  resistance  was  formed  in  the  mind 
of  John  Adams  from  the  first  appearance  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  his 
partner  imbibed  his  principles,  arid  prepared  herself  for  all  the  trials 
and  sacrifices  which  it  was  apparent  must  in  such  a  contest  be  re- 
quired of  her.  For  ten  years  after  their  marriage  Mr.  Adams  con- 
tinued with  increasing  reputation  in  the  practice  of  the  law,  residing 
alternately  in  the  mansion  descended  to  him  from  his  father,  and  at 
Boston.  In  September,  1774,  Mr.  Adams  was  called  to  attend  the 
meeting  of  the  first  Congress  at  Philadelphia,  That  session  was 
short ;  but  from  the  meeting  of  the  second  session  in  May,  1775,  it  was 
not  again  discontinued  till  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and 
during  the  whole  of  that  time  she  resided  at  Braintree,  with  a  family 
of  infant  children,  far  from  the  partner  of  her  heart,  and  exposed  with 
her  family,  during  a  great  part  of  the  time,  to  continual  dangers, 
scarcely  less  formidable  than  those  which  her  husband,  far  distant 
from  her,  was  on  his  part  called  to  encounter. 

The  first  deadly  conflict  of  the  war  was  in  April  1775,  at  Lexing- 
ton. The  incident  which  gave  occasion  to  it  was  the  detachment  of 
a  body  of  troops  from  the  British  army  at  Boston,  sent  out  to  inter- 
cept John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams,  then  on  their  way  to  attend 
the  meeting  of  this  second  Congress.  John  Adams  was  not  with 
them,  but  had  left  his  home  for  the  same  destination  several  days 
before.  But  his  dwelling-house,  his  wife,  and  children,  were  within 
a  shorter  distance  from  Boston  than  Lexington  or  Concord ;  and  the 
same  spirit  which  had  instigated  the  British  commander  to  send  a 
body  of  men  to  seize  the  persons  of  two  members  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  might  with  a  much  smaller  force  have  visited  the  dwelling- 
house,  and  destroyed  or  made  prisoners  of  the  family  of  the  third. 
For  several  months  this  danger  was  so  imminent,  that  the  library,  and 
all  the  most  valuable  furniture  of  the  house,  were  removed  to  a  dis- 
tant part  of  the  town  ;  nor  were  they  restored  till  after  the  British 
army  had,  in  April  1776,  evacuated  Boston. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  this  trial,  aggravated  by  an  epidemic  dysen- 
tery, with  which,  in  the  Autumn  of  1775,  Mrs.  ADAMS  herself  and 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

every  member  of  her  family  were  severely  afflicted,  and  to  which  her 
own  mother,  a  brother  of  her  husband,  and  a  young  woman  living  with 
her,  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  weeks  fell  victims,  it  was  succeeded 
by  another  scarcely  less  distressing.  After  the  removal  of  Congress 
from  Philadelphia  to  Yorktown,  in  November,  1777,  Mr.  Adams  made 
a  short  visit  to  his  family,  and,  while  absent,  was  appointed  a  joint 
Commissioner  at  the  Court  of  France,  with  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin 
and  Arthur  Lee,  in  the  place  of  Silas  Deane,  who  was  recalled.  In 
February,  1778,  he  sailed  from  Nantasket  Roads  in  the  Boston 
frigate,  Captain  Samuel  Tucker ;  taking  with  him  his  eldest  son,  then 
a  boy  in  the  eleventh  year  of  his  age.  It  was  the  most,  perilous  pe- 
riod of  the  war  for  a  passage  across  the  Atlantic.  The  Boston  was 
an  old  brigantine  converted  into  a  small  frigate  of  28  guns,  far  infe- 
rior in  force  and  weight  of  metal  to  the  sloops  of  war  of  our  present 
navy.  While  she  was  preparing  for  sea  in  the  harbor  of  Boston, 
there  was  a  British  squadron  anchored  at  no  greater  distance  than 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  watching  her  departure ;  well  informed  of 
her  destination,  advised  of  the  fact  that  a  member  of  Congress  was 
going  out  in  her  as  a  passenger,  and  eager  in  coveting  possession 
both  of  the  passenger  and  the  ship.  France  had  not  then  acknow- 
ledged the  Independence  of  the  United  States,  nor  was  it  certain 
what  reception  the  ship  or  Commissioner  would  find  in  that  country. 
Mrs.  ADAMS  would  for  herself  have  been  prepared  to  encounter 
every  hazard  with  the  partner  of  her  life  ;  but  to  expose  her  with  three 
infant  children,  the  whole  family  at  once,  was  too  much  to  undertake. 
She  remained  at  Braintree,  with  three  of  the  children. 

In  February,  1778,  France  acknowledged  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  treaties  of  commerce  and  of  eventual  alliance 
were  concluded.  Congress  soon  after  determined  to  have,  instead  of 
three  Commissioners  at  the  Court  of  France,  only  one  Minister  Pleni- 
potentiary, and  the  choice  fell  upon  Dr.  Franklin.  Mr.  Lee  had  an- 
other commission  as  Minister  to  Spain.  Mr.  Adams  was  left  without 
being  recalled,  but  without  appointment  to  any  other  mission.  He 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  August,  1779  ;  but  it  had  not  been 
the  intention  of  Congress  to  dispense  wiih  his  further  services  in 
Europe.  Soon  after  his  return  he  received  a  commission  to  negotiate 
a  peace  with  Great  Britain ;  and  in  November,  1779,  embarked  again 
for  France,  taking  with  him  his  two  elder  sons,  John  Quincy  and 
Charles — Mrs.  ADAMS  again  remained  with  the  two  other  children, 
a  daughter  and  the  youngest  son,  till  after  the  conclusion  of  the 
peace.  This  was  followed  by  a  joint  commission  to  Mr.  Adams,  with 


MRS.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  to  negotiate  treaties  of  commerce 
with  any  of  the  European  or  Barbary  Powers  ;  and  to  this  succeeded 
the  appointment  of  Mr.  Adams  as  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the 
Court  of  Great  Britain. 

In  May,  1784,  Mrs.  ADAMS  embarked,  with  her  only  daughter,  at 
Boston,  to  join  her  husband  ;  she  arrived  at  London  in  July.  Mr. 
Adams  was  then  at  the  Hague,  in  the  discharge  of  the  office  of  Mi- 
nister Plenipotentiary  to  the  United  Netherlands,  to  which  he  had  been 
appointed  by  Congress  after  the  capture  and  imprisonment,  in  the 
tower  of  London,  of  Henry  Laurens.  About  the  same  time  of  Mrs. 
ADAMS'S  arrival  in  England,  Mr.  Jefferson  arrived  in  France,  on  the 
joint  mission  to  negotiate  commercial  treaties,  which  negotiation  was 
to  be  conducted  at  Paris.  Mr.  Adams,  therefore,  repaired  to  London 
to  meet  his  family,  and  proceeded  with  them  to  Paris.  They  resided 
nearly  a  year  at  Auteuil,  a  village  adjoining  that  of  Passi,  the  resi- 
dence of  Doctor  Franklin,  until  his  final  return  to  the  United  States, 
in  1785.  He  had,  soon  after  the  conclusion  of  the  peace,  requested 
of  Congress  permission  to  return,  and  to  retire  from  the  service  of  the 
Union.  In  the  Spring  of  1785  Mr.  Jefferson  was  appointed  his  suc- 
cessor at  the  Court  of  France,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  commissioned  as 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  Great  Britain.  He  proceeded  with  his 
family  to  London.  There  he  resided  three  years,  and  in  the  Sum- 
mer of  1788,  at  his  own  request,  received  permission  to  return  home. 
He  arrived  at  Boston  precisely  at  the  time  when,  by  the  ratification 
of  nine  States,  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  was  received  as 
the  Supreme  law  of  the  land. 

During  her  absence  in  Europe,  Mrs.  ADAMS  had  resided  one  year 
in  France  and  three  years  in  England.  She  had  made  several  ex- 
cursions of  several  days,  to  visit  some  of  the  beautiful  scenes  and 
magnificent  country-seats  which  abound  in  England ;  and  before  her 
return  had,  in  company  with  her  husband,  visited  the  scarcely  less 
magnificent  scenery  of  the  Netherlands.  In  her  own  country  she  had, 
from  her  childhood,  been  accustomed  to  view  and  to  admire  the 
scenery  between  her  native  village  and  Boston,  scarcely  surpassed  for 
natural  beauty  by  any  object  upon  earth.  In  France,  in  England, 
in  Holland,  she  had  seen  the  highest  attainments  of  art  and  the 
most  unbounded  profusion  of  wealth  lavished  to  improve  and  adorn 
the  simple  beauties  of  nature.  In  the  inspection  and  enjoyment  of 
these  beauties  she  had  taken  great  delight ;  and  in  familiar  letters  to 
her  friends  in  this  country  had  given  descriptions  of  them,  exceed- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

ingly  interesting  to  her  correspondents,  and  which,  even  at  this  day, 
might  be  read  with  pleasure  by  the  public. 

Her  letters  to  her  husband  and  children,  and  to  friends  of  her  own 
sex,  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  among  which  Mrs.  Mercy  War- 
ren, sister  of  James  Otis  and  wife  of  General  James  Warren  of 
Plymouth,  deserves  to  be  particularly  remembered,  have  an  interest 
of  a  higher  character.  These  ladies,  familiar  with  the  Roman  histo- 
ry, and  living  in  times  when  the  exercise  of  the  virtues  of  lofty  pa- 
triotism were  as  necessary  and  as  useful  to  the  cause  of  liberty  among 
the  daughters  of  the  land,  as  among  their  husbands  and  their  brothers, 
corresponded  with  each  other  throughout  the  Revolutionary  war — 
Mrs.  ADAMS  assuming  -the  signature  of  Pdrtio,  and  Mrs.  Warren 
that  of  Marcia  ;  and  no  correspondence  of  the  Roman  matrons  bear- 
ing those  names  ever  breathed  a  purer  or  more  vivid  spirit  of  pa- 
triotism. The  letters  of  Mrs.  ADAMS  to  her  sons,  while  they  were  in 
Europe,  were  read  and  admired ;  and  translations  of  more  than  one 
of  them  were  made  and  published  in  some  of  the  periodical  journals 
of  France. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States,  under  their  present  Consti- 
tution, was  organized  in  April,  1789,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  the 
first  Vice  President  of  the  United  States.  He  held  that  office  during 
the  eight  years  of  President  Washington's  administration,  and  was 
elected  his  immediate  successor.  The  sessions  of  the  first  Congress 
were  held  at  the  city  of  New  York.  In  1790  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment was  removed  to  Philadelphia,  and  continued  there  till  Decem- 
ber, 1800,  when  it  was  transferred  to  Washington,  in  the  District  of 
Columbia.  During  the  sessions  of  Congress  Mr.  Adams  usually  re- 
sided with  his  family  at  New  York,  and  afterwards  at  Philadelphia  ; 
and  in  the  intervals  between  them,  on  his  estate  at  Quincy,  about 
eight  miles  distant  from  Boston.  Mrs.  ADAMS'S  health,  as  she  ad- 
vanced in  years,  became  frequently  infirm  ;  but,  with  the  exception 
of  one  or  two  sessions,  when  she  was  detained  at  home  by  indisposi- 
tion, she  resided  with  her  husband  at  the  seat  of  government. 

In  the  administration  of  the  first  President  of  the  United  States 
two  parties  immediately  disclosed  themselves.  They  were  at  first 
merely  the  successors  of  those  between  which  the  struggle  had  been 
maintained  for  and  against  the  establishment  of  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States.  The  contest  between  persons  and  property,  be- 
tween the  many  and  the  few,  inherent  in  the  vitals  of  human  society, 
was  always  fermenting  in  the  community.  These  elements  of 
contention,  always  acting  and  reacting  upon  the  course  of  human 


MRS.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

events,  and  always  modified  by  them,  gave  rise  to  two  systems  of 
administration,  the  leading  minds  of  which  were  Alexander  Hamilton 
and  Thomas  Jefferson.  Washington  endeavored  to  hold  the  balance 
between  them  ;  and  Mr.  Adams,  in  his  station  of  Vice-President,  gave 
his  cordial  and  effective  support  to  the  general  measures  of  his  ad- 
ministration. The  French  Revolution  breaking  forth  in  the  same 
year  when  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  went  into  operation, 
and  involving  in  its  progress  all  the  elements  of  contention  incident 
to  human  society,  produced  a  conflict  of  principles  which  not  even 
the  moderation,  the  spotless  integrity,  and  the  enduring  fortitude  of 
Washington  himself  could  assuage.  Jefferson  and  Hamilton  both  suc- 
cessively retired  from  the  administration,  but  neither  of  them  to  quiet 
retirement.  The  spirit  of  party  turned  with  a  virulence,  incredible ' 
at  this  day,  against  Washington  himself;  and  upon  his  retirement,  Mr. 
Adams  was,  by  a  bare  majority  of  the  electoral  votes  over  Mr.  Jefferson, 
chosen  the  successor  to  the  Presidency,  Mr.  Jefferson  himself  being 
by  the  same  election  seated  in  the  chair  of  the  Vice-Presidency. 

The  party  struggle  continued  during  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Adams ;  and  the  defection  of  Hamilton,  with  other  leaders  of  the 
Federal  party,  turned  the  scale  of  the  election  of  1800.  Thomas 
Jefferson  and  Aaron  Burr  were  returned  with  an  equal  number  and 
a  majority  of  votes  in  the  electoral  colleges,  and  after  a  severe  con- 
test between  them  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  Mr.  Jefferson  was 
elected  President  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Adams  retired  to  private 
life,  and  spent  the  last  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  at  his  residence 
in  Q,uincy,  where,  on  the  4th  of  July  1826,  he  died. 

Mr.  Jefferson,  in  his  Inaugural  Address,  alluded  to  the  political  in- 
tolerance which  had  marked  the  party  conflicts  of  the  preceding  ad- 
ministrations, and  urged  his  countrymen  to  restore  harmony  and  af- 
fection to  social  intercourse.  Of  that  intolerance,  and  of  the  bitter 
and  rancorous  imputations  which  are  its  most  effective  weapons,  no 
man  who  had  devoted  his  life  to  the  service  of  his  country  ever  en- 
dured more  than  Mr.  Adams.  From  the  day  when  he  took  his  seat 
as  President  of  the  Senate,  until  that  when  his  administration  expired, 
he  was  assailed  with  unappeasable  virulence  ;  nor  did  it  even  cease 
with  his  retirement  to  private  life.  The  exemplary  deportment  of 
Mrs.  ADAMS  towards  persons  of  all  parties  during  the  twelve  years 
of  her  husband's  connexion  with  the  government  of  the  United  States, 
disarmed  even  the  demon  of  party  spirit.  She  enjoyed  universal 
esteem,  as  well  for  the  endowments  of  her  mind,  as  for  the  correct- 
ness of  her  deportment ;  and  the  only  form  in  which  personal  male- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

volence  or  party  malignity  could  assume  to  turn  her  virtues  into 
weapons  of  annoyance  to  her  husband,  was  that  of  occasional  insinu- 
ations that  she  exercised  over  him  an  uncontrolable  influence, 
extended  even  to  measures  of  public  concernment ;  a  slander  not 
less  unjust  than  all  the  others  with  which  Mr.  Adams  was  inces- 
santly pursued. 

During  the  remainder  of  her  life  Mrs.  ADAMS  shared  the  retirement 
of  her  husband,  in  the  exercise  of  all  the  virtues  that  adorn  and  dig- 
nify the  female,  and  the  Christian  character.  As  the  mistress  of  a 
household,  she  united  the  prudence  of  a  rigid  economy  with  the  gene- 
rous spirit  of  a  liberal  hospitality ;  faithful  and  affectionate  in  her 
friendships,  bountiful  to  the  indigent,  kind  and  courteous  to  her  de- 
pendents, cheerful,  good-humoured  and  charitable  in  the  intercourse 
of  social  life  with  her  neighbors  and  acquaintance.  She  lived  in  the 
habitual  practice  of  benevolence,  and  of  sincere,  unaffected  piety.  In 
the  year  1813  she  was  called  to  endure  one  of  the  severest  afflictions 
that  can  befall  the  lot  of  humanity,  the  death  of  her  only  daughter, 
wife  of  Colonel  William  Stephens  Smith  of  New  York,  after  a  long, 
lingering,  and  painful  disease.  She  had  before,  at  earlier  periods  of 
her  life,  lost  one  infant  daughter  and  one  son,  Charles  Adams,  in  the 
prime  of  life  and  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age. 

Mrs.  ADAMS  herself  died  of  a  typhus  fever  on  the  28th  of  October, 
1818,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four ;  leaving  to  the  women  of  her  country 
an  example  which,  could  it  be  universally  followed,  would  restore  to 
mankind  the  state  of  paradise  before  the  fall.  J.  Q,.  A. 


EC® 


THOMAS    MCKEA1M. 

THE  facility  with  which  the  patriots  of  the  American  Revolution 
passed  from  the  excitement  and  turbulence  of  war  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  arts  of  peace,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  numerous 
excellencies  for  which  they  were  conspicuous.  They  did  not  merely 
convert  weapons  of  warfare  into  implements  of  agriculture.  They 
displayed  in  civil  occupations  those  exalted  intellectual  qualities  which 
are  usually  the  growth  of  peaceful-  nurture,  but  which  in  them 
seemed  to  spring  up  spontaneously,  in  defiance  of  adverse  circum- 
stances and  perilous  commotions.  Perhaps  the  very  concussion  of 
society  may  have  elicited  the  sparks  of  genius  which  otherwise  would 
have  lain  inert,  and  never  have  been  brought  into  existence. 

We  have  been  led  to  these  remarks  by  contemplating  the  character  of 
an  eminent  lawyer  and  statesman,  the  foundation  of  whose  greatness 
was  laid  amidst  the  perils  of  a  revolution.  The  condition  of  Chief 
Justice  McKEAN  was  similar  to  that  of  a  majority  of  our  illustrious 
countrymen,  who  acquired  in  war  the  qualities  essential  to  distinc- 
tion in  peace.  The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  a  native  of  the  county 
of  Chester,  in  the  province  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  on  the 
nineteenth  day  of  March.  A.  D.  1734. 

He  received  his  academical  education  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  Rev.  Francis  Allison,  a  scholar  and  divine,  eminent  for  piety  and 
learning ;  and  after  having  acquired  the  customary  branches  of  know- 
ledge, he  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  his  relative, 
David  Finney,  Esq.  at  New  Castle  in  Delaware.  During  the  continu- 
ance of  his  studies,  he  performed  the  duties  of  Clerk  of  the  Prothono- 
tary  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  subsequently  became  deputy 
Prothonotary.  and  Register  for  the  probate  of  wills,  &c.  for  the  County 
of  Newcastle,  the  whole  labor  of  which  devolved  upon  him  in  conse- 
quence of  the  absence  of  his  principal. 

His  career  at  the  bar,  to  which  he  was  admitted  to  practice  before 
he  had  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  was  rapid ;  and 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

extended  to  his  native  county  of  Chester  and  to  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia. In  1756  he  was  appointed  deputy  of  the  Attorney- General 
to  prosecute  in  the  County  of  Sussex,  which  appointment  he  re- 
signed after  having,  in  a  creditable  manner,  fulfilled  its  duties  for 
two  years.  In  1757  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  without  solicitation  elected  clerk 
of  the  Assembly,  which  appointment  was  renewed  on  the  follow- 
ing year,  but  was  subsequently  declined.  Another  evidence  of 
his  merit  and  growing  reputation  was  exhibited  by  his  having  been 
selected  by  the  Legislature,  together  with  Caesar  Rodney,  Esq.  in 
1762,  to  print  and  revise  the  laws  enacted  since  1752 ;  an  important 
and  responsible  duty,  which  was  executed  with  promptness  and  suc- 
cess. 

The  early  part  of  his  life  having  been  thus  devoted  to  the  acquisi- 
tion of  practical  knowledge,  to  the  improvement  of  his  abilities,  and 
to  the  establishment  of  a  broad  foundation  for  his  reputation,  he  was 
admirably  well  prepared,  for  a  long  and  active  career  of  public  life. 
His  qualifications  were  extensive,  and  his  habits  of  industry  firmly 
settled.  The  scene  which  was  before  him,  was  full  of  difficulty  and 
peril.  He,  however,  advanced  with  resolution,  and  being  thoroughly 
prepared  for  every  emergency,  was  enabled  to  sustain  himself  amidst 
the  most  complicated  and  hazardous  embarrassments  which  the  con- 
dition of  public  affairs  produced. 

In  1762.  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly  from  the  County  of  New 
Castle,  he  commenced  that  active  participation  in  politics  which  he 
continued  for  nearly  half  a  century,  during  which  time  few  great 
events  transpired  with  which  he  was  not  connected,  and  associated 
his  name  with  the  momentous  transactions  of  the  Revolution.  Du- 
ring seventeen  years  he  was  annually  re-elected  in  opposition  to  his 
avowed  inclination,  and  notwithstanding  repeated  communications 
from  him  to  his  constituents,  through  the  newspapers,  declining  a  re- 
election. This  is  the  more  remarkable  from  the  circumstance,  that 
for  the  space  of  six  years  of  that  time  he  resided  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia. It  exhibits  a  singular  proof  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  the 
constituents,  and  fidelity  in  the  representative. 

His  repeated  solicitations,  to  be  relieved  from  his  official  burthen, 
having  been  disregarded,  he  appeared  on  the  1st  of  October  1777,  the 
day  of  the  general  election,  at  New  Castle  ;  and  after  delivering  a  long 
and  eloquent  address  to  his  constituents  on  the  condition  of  public 
affairs,  succeeded  in  withdrawing  his  name  as  a  candidate.  But  no 
sooner  had  he  accomplished  this  object,  than  the  confidence  of  the 


THOMAS  MCKEAN. 

people  placed  him  in  a  situation  of  singular  delicacy  and  embarrass- 
ment. 

A  committee,  composed  of  six  persons,  called  upon  him  in  the  name 
of  the  electors,  and  after  expressing  the  reluctance  with  which  they 
acquiesced  in  his  determination  no  longer  to  be  their  representative, 
desired  that,  in  consequence  of  the  critical  posture  of  affairs  and  their 
confidence  in  his  judgment,  he  would  recommend  seven  persons  in 
whom  they  might  confide  as  representatives  for  that  county.  Mr. 
McKEAN  made  his  grateful  acknowledgments  for  so  distinguished  a 
compliment,  but  struggled  to  be  excused  from  a  duty  calculated  to 
give  offence  to  his  friends ;  and  assured  them  that  he  knew  not  only 
seven,  but  seventy  of  the  gentlemen  present  at  the  election  whom  he 
believed  to  be  deserving  of  their  suffrages.  The  electors,  however, 
persisted  in  their  purpose,  and  the  committee  having  returned  to  Mr. 
McKKAN,  and  informed  him  that  a  compliance  with  the  popular  will 
would  not  only  not  give  offence  to  any  individual,  but  would  confer 
a  benefit  on  the  country,  he  wrote  the  names  of  seven  persons,  who 
were  elected.  Of  the  eighteen  hundred  electors  present,  the  lowest 
of  the  gentlemen  named  by  Mr.  McKEAN,  on  the  ballot  wanted  less 
than  two  hundred  votes  of  that  number. 

So  distinguished  a  proof  of  confidence  made  a  deep  impression  on 
his  mind,  and  is  of  itself  conclusive  evidence  of  his  devotion  to  the 
public  service,  and  the  commanding  integrity  of  his  life.  The  ex- 
perience of  modern  times,  however,  demonstrates  that  personal  merit, 
unaided  by  the  peculiar  condition  of  society,  could  not  have  been  the 
sole  cause  of  the  distinction.  Merit  in  the  constituents  is  essential  to 
such  a  result.  The  crowd  of  aspirants  after  official  importance  will 
readily  dispense  with  the  services  of  an  incumbent,  however  neces- 
sary they  may  be  to  the  country,  and  will  supply  vacancies  without 
requiring  the  prompting  or  advice  of  others.  Mr.  MCLEAN'S  consti- 
tuents were  of  a  peculiar  order.  They  conferred  distinction  on  merit 
without  stint  or  envy ;  and  having  once  tested  the  fidelity  of  their  re- 
presentative, they — 

"  Grappled  him  to  their  souls  with  hooks  of  steel  ; 
Jlnd  did  not  dull  their  palms  with  entertainment 
Of  each  new-hatch'd,  unfledged  candidate." 

In  1764  the  Legislature  gave  an  additional  proof  of  its  confidence,  by 
appointing  him  to  be  one  of  the  three  trustees  of  the  loan  office  for 
New  Castle  County,  which  station  he  filled  until  the  year  1772. 
The  controversy  with  Great  Britain,  which  was  fruitful  of  so  many 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

thrilling  incidents,  and  brought  so  many  powerful  minds  into  action, 
displayed  itself  about  this  period  like  a  speck  on  the  horizon ;  and  to 
any  other  than  the  sagacious  patriots  of  America  would  hardly  have 
seemed  to  portend  a  storm.  But  the  legislation  of  the  British  Parlia- 
ment could  not  escape  the  vigilance  of  Colonial  jurists.  The  arro- 
gance of  British  statesmen  might  look  with  contempt,  on  the  apparent 
simplicity  of  a  race  of  men  whom  they  affected  to  believe  had  degene- 
rated from  the  parent  stock ;  but  the  event  proved  that  there  were 
veins  of  intellectual  wealth  pervading  our  country  not  surpassed  in 
extent  and  value  by  any  in  Europe  ;  and  that  it  only  required  the  im- 
pulse of  oppression  to  bring  into  active  operation  moral  and  mental 
powers,  which  have  commanded  the  admiration  of  mankind. 

Mr.  McKEAN  represented  the  Counties  of  New  Castle,  Kent,  and 
Sussex,  in  the  Congress  which  assembled  at  New- York  in  October, 
1768.  His  intrepidity  soon  gained  for  him  distinction.  He  actively 
engaged  in  their  proceedings,  and  vindicated  a  course  of  inflexible 
firmness.  The  president  and  several  members  having  refused, 
through  timidity,  to  sign  the  proceedings,  Mr.  McKEAN  so  warmly 
displayed  his  indignation,  that  he  became  involved  in  a  personal  con- 
troversy, but  which  resulted  in  an  increase  of  his  reputation,  and  in  the 
exposure  of  his  antagonists  to  popular  obloquy.  On  his  return  to 
New  Castle,  he  and  his  colleague  Mr.  Rodney  received  the  unani- 
mous thanks  of  the  Legislature  for  the  energy  and  abilities  with 
which  they  had  performed  their  duties  in  Congress. 

During  this  year  he  was  appointed  Notary  Public  for  the  lower 
counties  of  Delaware,  and  was  also  raised  to  the  Bench,  having  re- 
ceived a  commission  as  a  justice  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  quar- 
ter Sessions,  and  Orphan's  Court  for  the  County  of  New  Castle.  His 
energy  was  not  out  of  place  in  the  judicial  station ;  for  the  court  dis- 
played an  act  of  intrepidity  which  closely  resembles  the  daring  spirit 
by  which  he  was  actuated  at  every  period  of  his  life.  The  officers 
of  the  court  were  ordered  to  perform  their  duties  as  usual  on  un- 
stamped paper,  and  this  promptly  repudiated  an  unconstitutional  act 
of  Parliament. 

If  we  are  to  judge  of  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the 
number  and  variety  of  his  public  employments,  a  high  rank  must  be 
assigned  to  him,  for  his  services  seem  constantly  to  have  been  in  re- 
quisition. In  1769  he  was  sent  by  the  Assembly  to  New- York  to  ob- 
tain copies  of  all  documents  relating  to  real  estate  in  the  lower  coun- 
ties of  Delaware  prior  to  1700 ;  in  1771  he  was  appointed  by  the 
Commissioners  of  his  Majesty's  customs,  collector  of  the  port  of  New 


THOMAS  MCKEAN. 

Castle,  and  in  October,  1772,  he  became  the  speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives. 

Notwithstanding  he  had  fixed  his  residence  permanently  in  Phila- 
delphia, the  affection  of  his  old  constituents  followed  him,  and  he  was 
appointed  by  the  lower  counties  of  Delaware  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
gress of  1774.  Their  confidence  continued  with  undeviating  con- 
stancy, and  was  exhibited  by  an  annual  re-election  until  the  restora- 
tion of  peace  in  1783,  a  distinction  which  was  peculiar  to  himself, 
there  being  no  other  example  of  an  unbroken  term  of  service  during 
that  space  of  time.  The  convenience  of  his  location  at  the  place  of 
the  meeting  of  Congress  may  have  induced  the  Delawarians  to  have 
selected  him,  and  the  absence  of  extensive  pecuniary  means  of  de- 
fraying the  expenses  of  a  delegate,  may  have  quieted  the  aspiring 
spirits  of  rival  candidates,  and  thus  have  thrown  power  into  the  hands 
of  a  man  who  systematically  disregarded  selfish  considerations. 

The  business  of  Congress  was  promptly  and  efficiently  transacted 
by  the  aid  of  his  indefatigable  and  enlightened  services.  The  extent 
and  variety  of  his  labors  could  only  be  fully  appreciated  by  his  coad- 
jutors in  the  many  secret  committees  which  were  occupied  in  the 
constant  investigation  of  the  affairs  of  a  nation,  and  struggling  to  de- 
vise the  means  of  carrying  it  triumphantly  through  a  long  and  deso- 
lating conflict.  In  June,  1775,  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
which  prepared  and  reported  the  articles  of  confederation,  which  how- 
ever were  not  finally  agreed  to,  until  late  in  the  following  year,  and 
not  ratified  by  all  the  States  until  March  1781,  when  the  State  of 
Maryland  authorised  her  delegates  to  concur. 

In  addition  to  his  other  public  duties,  he  was  President  of  the  con- 
vention of  deputies  from  the  committee  of  Pennsylvania,  held  at  Car- 
penters' Hall  in  Philadelphia,  in  June  1776,  who  recommended  a 
.Declaration  of  Independence  by  Congress  ;  a  similar  resolution  having 
been  previously  adopted  in  the  month  of  May  by  the  regiment  of 
Associators  of  which  he  was  the  colonel.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  Pennsylvania,  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  observation  and  inspection  for  the  city  and  liberties  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  of  a  conference  of  delegates  in  Congress  from  the  States 
of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania ;  thus  exhibiting  him- 
self as  a  prominent  and  untiring  laborer  in  a  glorious  but  most  peril- 
ous conflict. 

A  slight  knowledge  of  the  character  of  Mr.  McKEAN  will  prepare 
us  to  find  him  in  that  intrepid  rank  of  patriotic  men  who  projected 
the  independence  of  their  country,  and  at  the  risk  of  their  lives  severed 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  tie  which  bound  her  to  the  British  dominions.  He  was  the  ear- 
nest advocate  of  the  propriety  of  making  a  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, and  its  undaunted  supporter  after  the  measure  had  been  adopted. 
Mr.  Rodney,  one  of  the  three  delegates  from  Delaware,  being  absent 
on  the  first  of  July,  when  Independence  was  resolved  on  in  Committee 
of  the  whole,  and  Mr.  Read  and  Mr.  McKEAN  differing  in  opinion,  the 
vote  of  Delaware  would  have  been  lost,  had  not  the  zeal  of  Mr.  Mc- 
KEAN  induced  him  to  send  an  express  at  his  private  expense  for  Mr. 
Rodney.  That  gentleman  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth,  and 
uniting  with  Mr.  McKEAN,  gave  the  vote  of  Delaware  in  favor  of  In- 
dependence ;  by  which  means  that  measure  was  adopted  with  the  con- 
currence of  all  the  States.  In  consequence  of  his  absence,  performing 
military  services  for  several  months  immediately  succeeding  the  fourth 
of  July,  an  opportunity  did  not  occur  until  the  month  of  October  of 
affixing  his  signature  to  the  Declaration,  engrossed  on  parchment. 

But  it  was  not  merely  in  a  civil  capacity  that  Mr.  McKEAN  ac- 
quired distinction.  He  performed  the  duties  of  a  soldier  with  firm- 
ness and  activity.  A  pitched  battle  might  have  ranked  him  among 
the  military  heroes  of  our  country.  Although  he  was  never  in  a 
regular  engagement,  his  personal  risk  was  great,  and  his  exertions 
ardent.  The  services  of  the  militia  of  Pennsylvania  having  been  re- 
quired in  New  Jersey,  Mr.  McKEAN,  as  colonel  of  a  regiment,  marched 
a  few  days  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence  to  Perth  Amboy,  to 
support  General  Washington,  and  continued  in  active  service  until 
the  occasion  which  called  them  to  camp  had  ceased.  In  the  perfor- 
mance of  military  duty  he  faced  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  had  his 
capacity  as  a  soldier  fully  tested  by  his  exposure  to  a  heavy  firing 
from  the  enemy's  batteries. 

He  had  no  sooner  resumed  his  seat  in  Congress,  than  his  attend- 
ance at  Dover,  as  a  member  of  the  convention  for  forming  a  Consti- 
tution for  Delaware,  was  required.  On  his  arrival,  after  a  fatiguing 
ride,  he  was  met  by  a  committee,  who  requested  him  to  write  a  con- 
stitution for  them.  The  labor  occupied  the  night.  The  constitution 
written  by  him  was  presented  at  10  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and 
unanimously  adopted. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  1777,  he  was  commissioned  by  the  Supreme 
Executive  council  of  Pennsylvania  as  Chief  Justice,  a  station  which 
he  filled  with  distinguished  ability  for  twenty-two  years.  As  the 
nation  was  just  emerging  from  a  Colonial  condition,  and  as  the  dis- 
turbed state  of  society  unsettled  the  rights  of  property,  great  and  novel 
questions  were  constantly  occurring,  which  required  a  court  of  more 

6 


THOMAS  MCKEAN. 

than  ordinary  sagacity,  firmness,  and  learning  to  determine.  Chief 
Justice  McKEAN  displayed  qualifications  equal  to  the  emergen- 
cies of  the  times  ;  and,  independently  of  the  high  authority  of  his  opi- 
nions, his  character  as  a  great  judge  has  descended,  in  prominent  re- 
lief, to  posterity. 

In  the  performance  of  his  judicial  functions  he  displayed  a  firm- 
ness which  no  danger  could  affect ;  at  one  time  braving  the  power  of 
Great  Britain  by  the  punishment  of  treason  against  his  country,  and 
at  another  stemming  the  torrent  of  popular  excitement  by  shielding 
the  accused  from  illegal  punishment. 

When  we  reflect  that  at  the  time  of  his  appointment  to  the  office  of 
Chief  Justice  he  was  a  member  of  Congress,  speaker  of  the  Assembly, 
President  of  Delaware,  and  that  in  July,  1781,  he  occupied  the  station 
of  President  of  Congress,  we  can  form  an  estimate  of  the  vast  labor 
which  he  performed,  and  of  the  unwearied  application  requisite  to 
master  the  complicated  details  of  litigated  cases,  essential  to  the  faith- 
ful fulfilment  of  his  judicial  duties.  Yet  amidst  the  violence  of  party 
animosity  in  which  he  was  extensively  involved,  his  enemies  do  not 
seem  to  have  charged  him  with  the  neglect  of  any  of  his  duties, 
although  his  filling  so  many  offices  became  the  ground  of  complaint. 

Mr.  McKEAN  struggled  to  obtain  relief  from  the  great  burthen  of 
public  affairs  which  was  heaped  upon  him.  His  health  and  fortune 
were  impaired,  by  his  attention  to  public  business.  As  a  delegate  in 
Congress,  he  had  never  received  sufficient  to  defray  his  expenses  ;  and 
for  two  years  he  had  neither  been  offered  nor  received  any  compen- 
sation. The  Legislature  of  Delaware,  however,  declined  accepting 
his  resignation  ;  and  although  Congress,  on  the  twenty-third  of  Octo- 
ber, 1781,  accepted  his  resignation  as  president,  on  the  next  day  they 
requested  him  to  resume  that  station  until  the  fifth  of  the  following 
November,  when,  having  elected  an  officer  to  supply  his  place,  they 
relieved  him  from  the  duties  of  the  chair,  and  rewarded  him  by  a  vote 
of  thanks. 

Chief  Justice  McKEAN  was  often  exposed  to  party  animosity.  His 
integrity  and  great  public  services  carried  him  through  the  fiery  or- 
deal unscathed.  The  confidence  of  his  countrymen  sustained  him  in 
every  trial.  His  ardent  temperament  and  energy  of  character,  were 
always  accompanied  by  disinterested  patriotism,  and  strength  of  in- 
tellect. An  unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  to  impeach  him  when 
performing  the  duties  of  Chief  Justice.  But  his  reputation  remained 
unsullied,  and  his  career  of  usefulness  was  not  yet  terminated. 

In  1787  Chief  Justice  McKEAN  was  a  member  of  the  Convention 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

of  Pennsylvania  which  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
a  measure  which  he  advocated  with  all  his  zeal  and  ability.  "  I  have 
gone,"  said  he,  "  through  the  circle  of  office,  in  the  Legislature,  Ex- 
ecutive, and  Judicial  departments  of  government ;  and  from  all  my 
study,  observation,  and  experience,  I  must  declare,  that  from  a  full 
examination  and  due  consideration  of  this  system,  it  appears  to  me 
the  best  the  world  has  yet  seen.  I  congratulate  you  on  the  fair  pros- 
pect of  its  being  adopted,  and  am  happy  in  the  expectation  of  seeing 
accomplished  what  has  long  been  my  ardent  wish,  that  you  will 
hereafter  have  a  salutary  permanency  in  magistracy  and  stability  in 
the  laws." 

He  was  always  the  advocate  of  the  rights  of  the  smaller  States,  which 
he  struggled  to  protect  from  the  encroachments  of  the  larger  members 
of  the  confederacy.  In  the  Congress  of  1765,  and  in  that  of  1774,  he 
insisted  that  they  should  vote  by  States,  which  course  was  adopted. 
Although  he  was  not  a  member  of  the  Convention  which  framed  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  their  pro- 
ceedings, and  exer-ted  his  influence  to  secure  the  adoption  of  his  fa- 
vorite principle,  of  an  equal  vote  in  national  proceedings  by  all  the 
States.  He  furnished  the  delegates  from  Delaware  with  notes  of  his 
arguments  on  former  occasions,  when  the  question  was  discussed  in 
Congress,  and  urged  upon  the  members  from  the  larger,  the  pro- 
priety of  securing  the  rights  of  the  smaller  States.  An  equal  repre- 
sentation in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  accomplished  his  object. 

In  1789  Chief  Justice  McKEAN  was  elected  a  delegate,  from  the  city 
of  Philadelphia  to  the  Convention,  to  amend  the  Constitution  of  Penn- 
sylvania. He  engaged  in  the  performance  of  his  duties  with  his 
usual  earnestness ;  but  as  he  mostly  occupied  the  chair  when  the  Con- 
vention was  in  Committee  of  the  whole,  he  was  precluded  from  a 
very  active  participation  in  the  debate.  A  proposition  for  the  gratui- 
tous education  of  the  poor  was  suggested  by  him  as  an  amendment 
to  Mr.  Wilson's  resolution  for  the  establishment  of  schools,  both  of 
which  provisions  were  incorporated  in  the  section  of  the  Constitution, 
which,  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Pickering,  was  finally  adopted. 

After  a  warm  party  conflict,  he  was,  in  the  year  1799,  elected 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  which  station  he  filled  for  nine  years. 
The  extensive  patronage  of  the  Executive  of  Pennsylvania,  renders 
the  possession  of  that  office  essential  to  party  ascendency,  and  con- 
sequently the  acquisition  agitates  the  commonwealth  with  the  most 
violent  party  commotions.  In  the  conflict  the  public  good  is  too  often 
overlooked ;  and  he  who  gains  the  victory,  is  too  apt  to  consider  the 


THOMAS  M  KEAN. 

emoluments  of  public  employment  as  the  appropriate  reward  for  ser- 
vices rendered  to  a  party. 

Experience  and  skill  are  too  often  dispensed  with,  and  the  undisci- 
plined incumbent  naturally  strives  during  the  brief  and  uncertain  space 
of  his  official  career,  to  reap  as  large  a  share  as  practicable  of  the  pe- 
cuniary benefits  of  his  station.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  man  of 
Governor  MCLEAN'S  high  standing  and  independent  spirit  should 
have  yielded  to  the  dominion  of  party  feeling,  and  have  sanctioned 
by  his  high  authority  the  practice  of  removing  from  office  on  mere 
party  grounds,  which  has  so  completely  gained  the  ascendency  in 
the  State,  and  been  so  prolific  of  mischief  to  the  public  service.  He, 
however,  did  not  hesitate  to  remove  his  political  antagonists,  and 
frankly  avowed  his  motives.  "  It  is  at  least  imprudent,"  said  he  in  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  "  to  foster  spies  continually  about  one's  self. 
I  am  only  sorry  that  I  did  not  displace  ten  or  eleven  more  :  for  it  is 
not  right  to  put  a  dagger  in  the  hands  of  an  assassin."  The  violence 
of  his  animosity  did  not,  however,  continue  without  intermission  ;  for 
after  his  administration  became  firmly  settled,  he  distinguished  merit 
in  the  ranks  of  his  opponents,  and  elevated  men  to  office  who  belonged 
to  the  party  opposed  to  him. 

Swayed,  as  he  occasionally  was,  by  party  feeling,  the  general  tenor 
of  his  administration  was  marked  by  his  accustomed  ability  and  devo- 
tion to  the  public  welfare.  The  extent  of  his  knowledge,  the 
of  his  language,  and  the  ardor  of  his  patriotism,  gave  him  a  lofty 
tion  in  the  confidence  of  the  people,  and  sustained  the  popularity  of 
his  administration.  In  the  years  1807  and  1808  another  attempt  was 
made  to  impeach  him,  which  drew  from  him  a  vigorous  and  success- 
ful defence. 

In  the  exercise  of  the  important  and  delicate  power  of  appointment, 
he  acted  from  the  impulse  of  his  own  mind,  and  disdained  to  submit 
to  party  dictation.  With  a  strongly  marked  character,  and  feelings 
inured  to  independence,  his  errors  and  his  virtues  emanated  from  his 
own  breast,  and  were  not  derived  from  an  imitation  of  others  or  from 
a  compliance  with  their  views  of  propriety.  Lofty  and  inflexible,  he 
pursued  that  course  which  he  believed  to  be  right,  and  met  the  conse- 
quences of  public  scrutiny,  and  the  menace  of  popular  condemnation, 
with  a  fearless  consciousness  of  rectitude. 

In  the  year  1803  he  declined  an  urgent  solicitation  to  become  a 
candidate  for  the  Vice- Presidency  of  the  Union,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1808,  having  served  as  Governor  during  the  constitutional  pe- 
riod of  nine  years,  he  finally  retired  from  public  life,  and  sought,  in 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  endearments  of  domestic  Hie,  and  in  the  cultivation  of  literature, 
the  enjoyments  congenial  to  his  age  and  inclination.  He  survived 
his  retirement  about  nine  years,  and,  separated  from  all  causes  of  ir- 
ritation, enjoyed  the  unbounded  respect  and  gratitude  of  the  people 
whom  he  had  so  efficiently  served. 

In  the  year  1814,  when  the  rapid  advances  of  the  British  awakened 
apprehensions  for  the  safety  of  Philadelphia,  which  was  almost  en- 
tirely unprotected,  a  town  meeting  was  convened  in  Independence 
Square  to  devise  measures  for  its  security,  The  venerable  patriot 
attended,  and  his  appearance  was  loudly  greeted  by  the  assembled 
multitude,  who  unanimously  called  him  to  the  chair.  He  briefly 
addressed  the  meeting,  aroused  a  spirit  of  devotion  to  their  country, 
and  endeavored  to  soothe  all  dissentions  by  reminding  them  "  that 
there  were  then  but  two  parties,  our  country  and  its  invaders."  His 
speech  was  in  the  spirit  of  times  which  were  past,  and  was  recog- 
nised as  the  voice  of  a  patriot  and  a  sage.  Prompt  and  effective  mea- 
sures were  the  result  of  the  meeting. 

Governor  MCKEAN'S  deportment  was  dignified  and  impressive. 
His  fortitude,  energy,  and  industry,  were  fully  exhibited  in  his  con- 
duct throughout  life,  whilst  his  public  integrity  has  often  been  the 
theme  of  commendation  ;  his  private  character  seems  to  have  escaped 
reproach.  He  was  twice  married ;  once  in  1762  to  Miss  Mary  Borden 
of  Bordentown,  and  in  1 774  to  Miss  Sarah  Armitage  of  New  Castle, 
Delaware. 

He  died  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  June,  1817,  aged  eighty-three  years 
two  months  and  sixteen  days  ;  and  was  interred  in  the  burial  ground 
of  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  in  Market  Street,  Philadelphia. 

In  reviewing  the  lives  of  patriotic  men,  who  have  devoted  their  abili- 
ties to  the  service  of  the  republic,  it  is  gratifying  to  dwell  on  illus- 
trious actions,  upon  which  posterity  pronounces  an  unanimous  ver- 
dict of  approbation.  Differences  of  opinion  on  abstract  points,  or  on 
temporary  measures,  are  overlooked  in  contemplating  a  career  dis- 
tinguished for  patriotic  devotion  to  the  public  service.  Party  feeling 
subsides,  human  infirmity  is  forgotten,  and  the  reputation  of  the  pa- 
triot survives  for  ages.  The  fame  of  Governor  McKEAN  is  identified 
with  some  of  the  most  important  events  of  our  country.  History,  in 
recording  them,  will  recount  the  virtues  and  the  privations  by  which 
they  were  accomplished. 

T.  A.  B. 


THOMAS   PINCKNEY. 

THE  early  years  of  Major-general  THOMAS  PINCKNEY  were  passed 
xvith  his  brother,  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  the  subject  of  the 
preceding  sketch  ;  and,  in  addition  to  the  facts  which  we  have  im- 
bodied  in  that  memoir,  it  will  be  only  necessary  to  say.  that  THOMAS 
was  born  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  on  the  23d  of  October, 
1750  ;  and  consequently  was  only  three  years  old  when  taken  to 
England  by  his  father.  Like  his  brother,  he  made  good  use  of  his 
time  and  opportunities  for  improvement,  and  after  nearly  twenty  years 
of  absence  returned  to  his  native  land  full  of  patriotic  ardor. 

He  was  still  engaged  in  his  professional  studies  in  London,  when 
the  first  notes  of  hostile  preparation  against  his  country  were 
sounded;  he  immediately  abandoned  all  other  pursuits,  and  devoted 
his  whole  attention  to  the  acquisition  of  military  knowledge,  by  which 
he  afterward  distinguished  himself  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  His 
military  services  were  put  in  requisition  very  soon  after  his  return  to 
Charleston ;  and  according  to  the  statement  of  Major  Garden,  the 
rudiments  of  discipline  were  first  taught  by  him  to  the  infantry  of  the 
South  Carolina  line.  On  the  formation  of  the  two  Provincial  regi- 
ments in  1775,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  company,  and 
soon  after  rose  to  the  rank  of  Major.  He  had  the  reputation  of  an 
able  tactician  and  a  rigid  disciplinarian.  Of  his  firmness  and  deci- 
sion of  character,  he  gave  the  following  very  unequivocal  proof.  At 
an  early  period  of  the  war,  a  mutiny  having  broken  out  in  his  regi- 
ment, the  officers  attempted  to  suppress  it  by  persuasion  and  remon- 
strance, which  were  succeeded  by  upbraidings  and  menaces.  Major 
PINCKNEY  walked  deliberately  into  the  midst  of  the  mutineers,  and 
with  his  sabre  cut  down  the  ringleader.  Order  and  subordination 
were  immediately  restored. 

When  General  Lincoln  took  command  of  the  Southern  army, 
Major  PINCKNEY  was  appointed  one  of  his  aids,  and  acted  in  that 
capacity  with  the  Count  D'Estaing  at  the  siege  of  Savannah.  At  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

attack  on  the  enemy's  works  at  Stono,  in  June,  1779,  Major  PINCK- 
NEY  gained  great  applause  for  his  gallant  conduct  in  the  field,  where 
the  battalion,  to  which  he  was  attached,  charged  two  companies  of  the 
71st  British  regiment,  and  so  completely  routed  them  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet,  that  only  nine  men  were  able  to  take  shelter  within  their 
lines.  At  the  siege  of  Savannah,  while  superintending  the  construc- 
tion of  a  redoubt,  a  shell  from  the  enemy  fell  into  the  ditch  and  burst. 
Major  PINCKNEY  and  Colonel  D'Oyley  were  blinded  with  dust  and 
covered  with  dirt ;  but  the  Major,  without  changing  his  position,  or 
being  in  the  least  discomposed,  calmly  observed,  "  I  think,  D'Oyley, 
that  must  have  been  very  near  us,"  and  then  continued  to  press  on 
the  work  with  great  animation.  When  the  assault  on  the  town  was 
determined  on,  Major  PINCKNEY  led  one  of  the  assailing  columns, 
but  was  repulsed.  Great  confusion  among  the  troops  ensued,  and  all, 
who  could,  pressed  forward  to  avoid  the  destructive  fire  that  poured 
upon  their  rear.  Major  PINCKNEY  hastened  to  the  front  of  his  sol- 
diers, and  commanded  them  to  halt.  "  Success,  my  brave  fellows,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  though  richly  merited,  has  not  crowned  your  exertions  ; 
yet  do  not  disgrace  yourselves  by  precipitate  flight,  and,  though  re- 
pulsed, quit  the  field  like  soldiers."  Order  was  restored,  and  the  regi- 
ment regained  their  encampment  with  deliberate  steps. 

At  the  disastrous  battle  of  Camden  on  the  16th  of  August,  1780, 
Major  PINCKNEY,  acting  as  Aid-de-camp  to  General  Gates,  had  his 
leg  shattered  by  a  musket  ball,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
When  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  removed,  he  was  sent  as  a  prisoner 
of  war  to  Philadelphia. 

In  1787  he  succeeded  General  Moultrie  as  Governor  of  South  Ca- 
rolina, and  was  eminently  successful  in  re-establishing  the  authority 
of  the  laws,  which  had  been  in  a  great  measure  dormant  during  the 
war. 

He  received  from  President  Washington,  in  1792,  the  appointment 
of  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  The  duties 
which  devolved  upon  him  during  his  residence  in  London  were  at- 
tended with  circumstances  which  required  the  exercise  of  great  deli- 
cacy and  prudence,  with  vigilance  and  firmness.  It  will  be  recol- 
lected, that  at  that  time  some  of  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  peace 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  remained  unfulfilled. 
The  war  which  arose  out  of  the  French  Revolution,  and  very  soon 
involved  nearly  all  the  European  powers,  exposed  the  commerce  of 
the  Union  to  many  embarrassments  from  the  belligerents,  who  strove 
to  injure  and  annoy  each  other  without  regard  to  the  rights  of  neu- 


THOMAS  PINCKNEY. 

tral  nations.  The  neutrality  of  the  United  States  was  regarded  with 
jealousy  by  each  of  the  great  contending  powers.  Neutrality,  indeed, 
was  offensive  to  both,  and  each  strove  to  involve  our  country  in  the 
war.  But  it  was  the  settled  policy  of  Washington's  administration  to 
preserve  a  strict  neutrality,  and  to  favor  neither  of  the  belligerents. 
There  was  an  undoubted  inclination,  however,  on  the  part  of  a  ma- 
jority of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  to  arrange  themselves  on  the 
side  of  France ;  and  the  British  government  soon  became  aware  of 
that  fact,  and  adapted  their  measures  to  the  expected  result,  which 
their  power  on  the  ocean  enabled  them  to  render  exceedingly  vexa- 
tious. France  being  unable  any  longer  to  import  the  productions  of 
her  colonies  in  her  own  ships,  the  carrying  trade  on  the  Atlantic 
chiefly  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  American  merchants ;  but  that  was 
very  soon  interfered  with  by  the  orders  of  the  British  government  to 
their  cruisers.  The  practice  of  impressing  men  from  American 
ships  for  the  British  navy,  began  also,  about  this  time,  to  be  a  cause 
of  serious  complaint ;  and  a  renewal  of  hostilities  seemed  inevitable. 
But  the  conduct  of  Republican  France  was  equally  unfriendly  and 
offensive  ;  and,  considering  the  probable  tendency  of  her  great  adver- 
sary's measures,  far  more  impolitic.  Still  the  President  remained 
firm  in  his  purpose  of  maintaining  the  neutrality  of  the  United  States 
until  the  aggressions  of  foreign  powers  should  clearly  render  neu- 
trality incompatible  with  honor.  He  therefore  determined  to  make 
one  more  effort  with  each  of  the  great  contending  powers,  that  should 
either  remove  all  cause  of  quarrel  or  demonstrate  the  necessity  of 
war.  He  accordingly  communicated  to  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  the  despatches,  which,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1794,  had 
been  received  from  Major  PINCKNEY  at  London,  and  on  the  16th  of 
April  nominated  Mr.  Jay  as  Envoy  Extraordinary  to  his  Britannic 
Majesty. 

While  Major  PINCKNEY  was  Minister  at  London,  he  was  instructed 
to  seize  every  proper  occasion  to  express  the  interest  taken  by  the 
President  in  the  fate  of  La  Fayette,  who  was  then  a  prisoner  in  Ger- 
many ;  but  his  unofficial  communications  to  the  Austrian  Minister  in 
London,  and  his  endeavors  to  obtain  the  mediation  of  the  British 
government,  were  alike  unavailing. 

In  November  of  the  same  year,  Major  PINCKNEY  was  appointed 
Envoy  Extraordinary  to  his  Catholic  Majesty,  and  repaired,  in  the 
Summer  of  1795,  to  Madrid.  On  the  20th  of  October  following,  he 
concluded  a  treaty,  which  settled  the  controversy  with  Spain  respect- 
ing boundary,  and  secured  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  In 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

the  following  year  his  private  affairs  requiring  his  presence  at  home, 
he  was  recalled  at  his  own  solicitation,  and  returned  to  Carolina ; 
where  he  was  received  with  the  most  grateful  evidences  of  the  regard 
and  affection  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  afterward  served  a  few  ses- 
sions in  Congress,  as  a  representative  from  Charleston  district,  and 
then  retired  to  private  life. 

When  the  despatches  from  our  envoys  to  France  in  1798  reached 
this  country,  detailing  the  hostility  of  the  Directory,  and  the  humili- 
ating proposition  of  tribute,  and  the  indignities  which  had  been  offered 
to  Generals  C.  C.  Pinckney  and  Marshall,  and  Mr.  Gerry ;  President 
Adams  proposed  to  prevent  their  immediate  publication,  lest  further 
insults  might  follow,  as  those  gentlemen  were  still  in  Paris.  But  on 
consulting  Major  PINCKN  Y,  he  gave  a  decided  opinion  that  they 
ought  to  be  made  public  without  delay,  that  the  people  might  have  a 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  insulting  conduct  of  the  French  Directory. 
u  And,  Sir,"  he  added,  "  if  the  situation  of  my  brother  causes  you  to 
hesitate,  I  speak  for  him,  as  1  know  he  would  for  me,  were  I  similarly 
circumstanced.  The  glory  of  our  country  is  at  stake.  Individual 
sufferings  must  not  be  regarded.  Be  the  event  what  it  may,  life  is 
nothing  compared  with  the  honor  of  America." 

After  the  lapse  of  several  years,  which  had  been  devoted  to  the  edu- 
cation of  his  children  and  the  improvement  of  his  estate,  the  veteran 
was  once  more  called  by  his  country  to  the  field.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  of  1812,  President  Madison  appointed  him  to  the 
command  of  the-  Southern  army.  It  was  under  his  command  that 
the  Indian  war,  in  which  General  Jackson  distinguished  himself,  was 
undertaken  and  successfully  terminated.  He  very  early  discerned 
the  talents  of  General  Jackson,  and  recommended  him  to  the  War  de- 
partment for  the  command  of  a  separate  district,  to  be  formed  out  of 
his  own,  which  extended  from  North  Carolina  to  the  Mississippi,  and 
which  he  considered  entirely  too  large  for  one  command.  By  thus 
opening  a  field  for  the  free  exercise  of  the  skill  and  enterprise  of  Ge- 
neral Jackson,  he  advanced  the  interest  and  honor  of  his  country,  and 
the  war  was  closed  by  one  of  the  most  brilliant  victories  that  adorn 
the  annals  of  any  nation. 

On  the  return  of  peace  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  declined 
all  further  public  employment.  From  that  period  his  attention  was 
given  to  various  scientific  improvements  in  agriculture,  and  to  the 
cultivation  of  social  intercourse  amongst  a  very  extensive  circle  of 
relatives  and  friends.  He  died  on  the  2d  of  November,  1828,  after  a 
lingering  and  painful  illness. 


I 


JOSHUA.    BARNEY. 


THE  reputation  of  her  citizens  should  be  dear  to  every  member  of  the 
Union.  The  number  and  merit  of  their  services  is,  indeed,  often  the 
only  patrimony  of  their  children,  but  the  effect  of  their  example  can- 
not pass  away,  whilst  Honor  continues  to  point  to  their  deeds,  in  the 
pages  of  the  history  of  their  country.  No  state  has  produced  more 
or  brighter  examples  of  bravery  and  patriotism  than  the  gallant  state 
of  Maryland,  where  the  subject  of  this  notice  was  born,  on  the  6th 
of  July,  1759,  at  Baltimore.  He  discovered  early  an  inclination  for 
the  sea,  and  after  making  several  voyages,  was  second  mate  at  the 
early  age  of  fourteen  years,  and  was,  by  the  accidental  death  of  his 
captain,  placed  in  command  of  a  vessel  when  only  sixteen.  A  series 
of  adventures,  having  the  character  more  of  romance  than  reality, 
attended  this  sudden  and  early  responsibility,  not  the  least  singular 
of  which  was  his  detention  at  Alicant,  and  his  compulsory  service 
in  the  ill-conducted  and  disastrous  expedition  fitted  out  against  Al- 
giers by  the  king  of  Spain,  and  entrusted  to  the  unfortunate  Count 
O'Reilly.  Released  by  the  defeat  of  the  Spaniards,  he  returned 
home,  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay  on  the  1st  of  October,  1775,  and 
learned  from  the  officers  of  a  British  sloop  of  war,  who  boarded  him, 
that  that  Revolution  which  was  to  call  forth  in  him  a  devotion  to 
native  land  that  has  never  been  surpassed,  was  already  begun.  His 
services  were  quickly  offered  to  his  country ;  he  became  master's 
mate  of  the  sloop  Hornet,  often  guns,  and  was  the  first  to  unfurl,  in 
Maryland,  the  American  flag,  whose  honor  he  afterwards  so  often 
and  so  well  sustained.  This,  his  first  service,  was  as  a  volunteer, 
and  he  continued  to  act  as  such  until  his  appointment  as  lieutenant 
in  the  navy,  which  took  place  in  June,  1 776. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1776,  Lieutenant  BARNEY  sailed  from  Phila- 
delphia in  the  sloop  Sachem,  commanded  by  Captain  Isaiah  Robinson, 
and  very  soon  fell  in  with  and  captured  a  letter  of  marque  brig,  well 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

armed,  after  a  very  severe  action  of  two  hours.  Transferred  to  the 
Andrea  Doria,  of  fourteen  guns,  in  consequence  of  the  shattered  con- 
dition of  the  Sachem,  Captain  Robinson  and  Lieutenant  BARNEY 
sailed  again  from  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  into  which  they  had  been 
so  fortunate  as  to  bring  their  prize,  for  St.  Eustatia,  took  in  a  cargo 
of  small  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  army,  engaged  and  captured 
the  Racehorse  of  twelve  guns,  fitted  out  expressly  with  a  picked  crew 
to  intercept  and  take  the  Andrea  Doria,  and  commanded  by  a  lieu- 
tenant of  the  royal  navy.  It  became  his  lot,  however,  to  be  taken 
prisoner  by  the  enemy  in  January,  1777 — a  prize,  on  board  of 
which  he  was  prize-master,  being  retaken  by  the  Perseus,  of  twenty 
guns,  then  cruising  off  Cape  Henry.  He  was  carried  into  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  there  released  on  his  parole.  Upwards  of  eight 
months  passed  before  his  exchange  for  Lieutenant  Moriarty  of  the 
Solebay  was  effected ;  a  period  of  time  not  unprofitably  spent,  for  it 
was  devoted  to  study. 

In  December,  1777,  Lieutenant  BARNEY  was  appointed  to  the  Vir- 
ginia frigate,  and  remained  in  her  till  her  capture,  on  the  1st  of 
April  following,  by  the  British  squadron  in  the  Chesapeake.  Another 
period  of  imprisonment — an  exchange  and  return  to  Baltimore,  were 
the  precursors  of  new  adventures,  among  which  two  engagements — 
the  capture  of  a  British  letter  of  marque  and  a  voyage  to  France — 
were  the  most  important,  particularly  the  last ;  for  that  resulted  in 
pecuniary  benefit,  and  probably  led  him  to  form  the  most  important 
connection  of  his  life.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Gunning  Bed- 
ford, Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  16th  of  March,  1780. 

After  remaining  some  time  ashore,  Lieutenant  BARNEY  was  or- 
dered to  the  United  States'  ship  Saratoga,  of  sixteen  guns,  Captain 
Young,  and  sailed  from  Philadelphia  on  a  cruise.  Various  prizes 
were  made,  and,  among  others,  an  English  ship  of  thirty-two  guns 
and  ninety  men,  carried  by  Lieutenant  BARNEY,  who  boarded  her 
with  fifty  men  under  the  smoke  of  a  broadside  ;  and  after  a  severe  con- 
flict, hauled  down  her  colors.  Ordered  to  bring  his  prize  in,  he  steered 
for  the  Delaware ;  but  after  stopping  a  formidable  leak  in  her,  he  was 
captured  by  a  squadron  of  the  enemy,  landed  at  Plymouth  in  Eng- 
land, after  enduring  treatment  that  was  never  forgotten,  and  con- 
fined in  Mill  Prison. 

Our  limits  do  not  permit  us  to  relate  the  various  adventures  which 
followed  a  well-laid  and  successfully  conducted  plan  of  escape. 
After  remaining  some  time  at  large  in  England,  he  reached  Mar- 
gate, took  passage  in  a  packet  for  Osterid,  and  finally  reached  the 


JOSHUA  BARNEY. 

Beverly,  Massachusetts.    He  arrived  in  Philadelphia  on  the  21st  of 
March.  1782. 

We  approach  the  best  known,  if  it  be  not  at  the  same  time  the 
most  brilliant,  exploit  of  his  life.  The  tories,  with  numerous  craft, 
had  a  force  sufficient,  aided  by  the  presence  of  several  British  men  of 
war,  to  cause  the  greatest  annoyance,  during  the  spring  of  1782,  to 
the  commerce  of  Philadelphia.  The  state  of  Pennsylvania  under- 
took to  destroy  these  freebooters,  and  a  force  was  organized  under  her 
authority  for  that  purpose.  The  offer  of  one  of  the  vessels,  a  small  ship 
carrying  sixteen  six  pounders  and  a  hundred  and  ten  men,  equip- 
ped principally  through  the  liberality  and  enterprise  of  citizens  of 
Philadelphia,  was  made  to  Lieutenant  BARNEY,  who  took  command 
of  her  a  few  days  after  his  return  home.  This  vessel  was  the  "  Hy- 
der  Ally."  She  sailed  on  the  8th  of  April,  1782,  with  a  fleet  of  mer- 
chantmen, under  instructions  to  convoy  them  to  the  Capes,  and  then 
to  return  for  the  protection  of  the  Delaware.  Upon  reaching  Cape  May 
road,  the  convoy  were  approached  by  two  ships  and  a  brig  of  the 
enemy's  forces,  and  immediately  got  under  weigh  in  obedience  to  a 
signal,  and  began  to  run  up  the  bay.  The  brig  first  approached, 
and  gave  the  Hyder  Ally  a  broadside,  and  passed  on  after  the  mer- 
chantmen. The  broadside  was  not  returned,  as  one  of  the  enemy's 
ships  was  fast  approaching — into  her,  as  soon  as  she  came  within 
pistol  shot,  Captain  BARNEY  poured  a  tremendous  fire  ;  and,  as  she 
was  ranging  alongside,  by  a  prompt  manoeuvre,  caught  her  jib-boom 
in  the  Hyder  Ally's  fore  rigging,  thus  obtaining  a  position  which 
enabled  him  to  rake  her  with  such  effect,  that  in  twenty-six  minutes 
her  colors  were  struck.  The  enemy's  other  ship  (the  Quebec  frigate) 
was  by  this  time  very  near,  and  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  Hyder 
Ally  and  thirty-five  men  were  quickly  put  on  board  the  prize,  which 
was  despatched  with  all  speed  up  the  bay.  Having  outsailed  the 
frigate,  the  prize  was  hailed  by  Captain  BARNEY,  who  found  her  to 
be  his  Britannic  Majesty's  ship  the  "  General  Monk,"  mounting  twenty 
nine  pounders,  with  a  crew  of  one  hundred  arid  thirty-six  men, 
commanded  by  Captain  Josiah  Rodgers  of  the  royal  navy.  The 
General  Monk  had  twenty  men  killed,  including  the  first  lieutenant, 
purser,  surgeon,  boatswain,  and  gunner ;  and  thirty-three  wounded, 
among  whom  were  Captain  Rodgers  and  all  the  officers  of  the  ship, 
with  the  exception  of  one  midshipman.  The  loss  on  board  the  Hyder 
Ally  was  four  men  killed,  and  eleven  were  wounded.  Captain  BAR- 
NEY escaped  unhurt,  though  a  musket  ball  passed  through  his  hat 
and  another  tore  his  coat. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

sailed  for  France,  to  settle,  if  possible,  some  of  the  claims  on  the  go- 
vernment of  that  country  arising  out  of  his  former  St.  Domingo 
voyages.  He  was  a  fellow-passenger  with  Mr.  Monroe,  then  minis- 
ter to  that  country,  who,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1794,  selected 
him  as  the  bearer  of  the  American  flag  presented  to  the  National 
Convention.  This  body  decreed  that  he  should  be  employed  in 
the  navy  of  the  Republic ;  and,  just  before  his  return  to  the  United 
States,  he  was  offered,  by  the  minister  of  marine,  the  command  of  the 
Alexander,  a  seventy-four  gun  ship,  not  long  before  taken  from  the 
British — a  circumstance  to  him  of  no  trifling  import ;  but  his  private 
affairs  prevented  him  from  accepting  the  flattering  offer,  and  until 
they  were  arranged  he  declined  an  appointment.  Subsequently  he 
received  the  appointments  of  Capitaine  de  Vaisseau,  and  Chef  de 
Division  des  Armies  Navales,  and  before  the  end  of  May,  1795,  he 
sailed  from  Rochfort  with  two  fine  frigates,  La  Harmonie  of  forty- 
four  guns,  on  board  of  which  he  hoisted  his  flag,  and  La  Railleuse 
of  thirty-six  guns,  bound  for  St.  Domingo.  He  continued  in  the 
French  service,  actively  and  efficiently  engaged,  and  encountering 
constant  peril  and  adventure,  until  1802,  when  he  resigned ;  and 
after  having  received  ample  testimony  of  the  merit  of  his  services, 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  October  of  that  year. 

To  arrange  affairs  left  during  eight  years'  absence  to  the  care  of 
others,  and  to  establish  himself  at  home  for  the  rest  of  his  days,  be- 
came the  immediate  object  of  Commodore  BARNEY'S  attention.  In 
the  year  1804,  the  sentence  of  the  court  at  Jamaica  condemning  the 
Sampson  and  her  cargo,  was  reversed,  and  their  value  ordered  to  be 
restored ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  following  year  he  received  a 
handsome  remittance  from  Paris  on  account  of  his  claims  upon  the 
French  Government. 

The  attack  upon  the  Chesapeake  frigate  excited  in  Commodore 
BARNEY,  in  a  high  degree,  the  feelings  which  pervaded  the  nation 
at  the  outrageous  insult  offered  to  it ;  and  on  that  occasion  he  wrote 
to  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  president  of  the  United  States,  to  offer  his  ser- 
vices, asking  to  be  "  employed  in  any  manner  which  might  be 
thought  conducive  to  the  good  of  his  country  " — an  offer  which  he 
repeated  to  Mr.  Madison  in  1809. 

The  declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  in  1812,  found  Com- 
modore  BARNEY  on  his  farm,  in  Anne  Arundel  county  (Md.) ;  but  he 
remained  there  a  very  short  time.  Less  than  three  weeks  after  its  an- 
nunciation, he  was  on  board  an  armed  vessel,  the  Rossie,  of  ten 
guns,  in  which,  during  a  short  cruise,  he  did  the  enemy  incredible 


JOSHUA  BARNEY. 

damage,  and  captured  a  letter  of  marque  and  a  king's  packet,  the 
latter  after  a  severe  action. 

The  command  of  the  Flotilla,  fitted  out  at  Baltimore  to  protect  the 
Chesapeake  Bay,  was  offered  to  him  in  1813,  but  he  was  unable  to 
commence  his  operations  till  April  1814.  He  engaged  the  British 
forces  sent  against  him  from  the  squadron  on  the  1st,  7th,  9th,  and 
10th  of  June  following,  with  great  gallantry  and  very  decisive 
effect.  These  engagements  were  but  the  prelude  to  more  serious 
operations.  The  British  had  determined  to  attack  Baltimore  and 
Washington ;  and  with  the  view  to  be  within  reach  of  either  place 
on  the  occasion  of  an  attempt  upon  it,  Commodore  BARNEY  moved 
his  flotilla  up  the  Patuxent  as  far  as  Nottingham,  a  village  on  that 
river  about  forty  miles  from  Washington,  where  he  learned,  on  the 
16th  of  August,  that  the  enemy  had  entered  and  were  ascending  the 
river.  The  orders  of  the  secretary  of  the  navy,  to  whom  he  commu- 
nicated the  intelligence  by  express,  were,  to  run  the  flotilla  as  far 
up  the  river  as  possible,  and  upon  the  enemy  landing,  to  destroy  it, 
and  march  to  join  General  Winder's  army  with  the  men. 

The  British  landed  on  the  21st  of  August  at  Benedict,  and  di- 
rected the  march  of  their  forces  upon  Washington.  Upon  receiving 
intelligence  of  their  approach,  Commodore  BARNEY  landed  with  iip- 
wards  of  four  hundred  men,  leaving  about  a  hundred  men  to  blow 
up  the  flotilla,  then  a  short  distance  above  Pig  Point,  if  attacked,  and 
likely  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  On  the  22d  of  August  he 
joined  General  Winder's  army  at  the  Woody ard,  where  he  found 
Captain  Miller,*  with  eighty  marines  and  five  pieces  of  heavy  artil- 
lery, placed  under  his  command  by  the  secretary  of  the  navy.  On  the 
24th  of  August  he  marched  to  Bladensburg,  and  pressing  on,  he  found 
the  American  forces  drawn  up,  and  covering  the  road  for  some  distance 
west  of  the  town,  and  shortly  after  they  became  engaged  with  the 
British.  He  formed  his  own  men,  and  arranged  his  artillery  in  battery, 
and  had  scarcely  so  done  before  the  enemy  appeared  in  the  road,  and 
advanced  upon  him.  He  opened  his  fire  upon  them  with  admirable 
precision,  and  such  destructive  effect,  as  to  drive  them  from  the  road 
at  the  first  discharge  ;  they  rallied  and  returned,  but  it  was  to  meet 
the  same  result.  They  turned  off  to  a  field  on  their  left,  with  the 
view  to  avoid  the  battery  and  continue  their  advance ;  but  Commo- 
dore BARNEY,  observing  the  movement,  directed  the  marines  under 
Captains  Miller  and  Sevier,  and  the  flotilla  men  acting  as  infantry, 

*  Now  Colonel  Miller— 1837. 

7 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

sailed  for  France,  to  settle,  if  possible,  some  of  the  claims  on  the  go- 
vernment of  that  country  arising  out  of  his  former  St.  Domingo 
voyages.  He  was  a  fellow-passenger  with  Mr.  Monroe,  then  minis- 
ter to  that  country,  who,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1794,  selected 
him  as  the  bearer  of  the  American  flag  presented  to  the  National 
Convention.  This  body  decreed  that  he  should  be  employed  in 
the  navy  of  the  Republic ;  and,  just  before  his  return  to  the  United 
States,  he  was  offered,  by  the  minister  of  marine,  the  command  of  the 
Alexander,  a  seventy-four  gun  ship,  not  long  before  taken  from  the 
British— a  circumstance  to  him  of  no  trifling  import ;  but  his  private 
affairs  prevented  him  from  accepting  the  flattering  offer,  and  until 
they  were  arranged  he  declined  an  appointment.  Subsequently  he 
received  the  appointments  of  Capitaine  de  Vaisseau,  and  Chef  de 
Division  des  Armies  Navales,  and  before  the  end  of  May,  1795,  he 
sailed  from  Rochfort  with  two  fine  frigates,  La  Harmonie  of  forty- 
four  guns,  on  board  of  which  he  hoisted  his  flag,  and  La  Railleuse 
of  thirty-six  guns,  bound  for  St.  Domingo.  He  continued  in  the 
French  service,  actively  and  efficiently  engaged,  and  encountering 
constant  peril  and  adventure,  until  1802,  when  he  resigned ;  and 
after  having  received  ample  testimony  of  the  merit  of  his  services, 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  October  of  that  year. 

To  arrange  affairs  left  during  eight  years'  absence  to  the  care  of 
others,  and  to  establish  himself  at  home  for  the  rest  of  his  days,  be- 
came the  immediate  object  of  Commodore  BARNEY'S  attention.  In 
the  year  1804,  the  sentence  of  the  court  at  Jamaica  condemning  the 
Sampson  and  her  cargo,  was  reversed,  and  their  value  ordered  to  be 
restored ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  following  year  he  received  a 
handsome  remittance  from  Paris  on  account  of  his  claims  upon  the 
French  Government. 

The  attack  upon  the  Chesapeake  frigate  excited  in  Commodore 
BARNEY,  in  a  high  degree,  the  feelings  which  pervaded  the  nation 
at  the  outrageous  insult  offered  to  it ;  and  on  that  occasion  he  wrote 
to  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  president  of  the  United  States,  to  offer  his  ser- 
vices, asking  to  be  "  employed  in  any  manner  which  might  be 
thought  conducive  to  the  good  of  his  country  " — an  offer  which  he 
repeated  to  Mr.  Madison  in  1809. 

The  declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  in  1812,  found  Com- 
modore BARNEY  on  his  farm,  in  Anne  Arundel  county  (Md.) ;  but  he 
remained  there  a  very  short  time.  Less  than  three  weeks  after  its  an- 
nunciation, he  was  on  board  an  armed  vessel,  the  Rossie,  of  ten 
guns,  in  which,  during  a  short  cruise,  he  did  the  enemy  incredible 


JOSHUA  BARNEY. 

damage,  and  captured  a  letter  of  marque  and  a  king's  packet,  the 
latter  after  a  severe  action. 

The  command  of  the  Flotilla^  fitted  out  at  Baltimore  to  protect  the 
Chesapeake  Bay,  was  offered  to  him  in  1813,  but  he  was  unable  to 
commence  his  operations  till  April  1814.  He  engaged  the  British 
forces  sent  against  him  from  the  squadron  on  the  1st,  7th,  9th,  and 
10th  of  June  following,  with  great  gallantry  and  very  decisive 
effect.  These  engagements  were  but  the  prelude  to  more  serious 
operations.  The  British  had  determined  to  attack  Baltimore  and 
Washington ;  and  with  the  view  to  be  within  reach  of  either  place 
on  the  occasion  of  an  attempt  upon  it,  Commodore  BARNEY  moved 
his  flotilla  up  the  Patuxent  as  far  as  Nottingham,  a  village  on  that 
river  about  forty  miles  from  Washington,  where  he  learned,  on  the 
16th  of  August,  that  the  enemy  had  entered  and  were  ascending  the 
river.  The  orders  of  the  secretary  of  the  navy,  to  whom  he  commu- 
nicated the  intelligence  by  express,  were,  to  run  the  flotilla  as  far 
up  the  river  as  possible,  and  upon  the  enemy  landing,  to  destroy  it, 
and  march  to  join  General  Winder's  army  with  the  men. 

The  British  landed  on  the  21st  of  August  at  Benedict,  and  di- 
rected the  march  of  their  forces  upon  Washington.  Upon  receiving 
intelligence  of  their  approach,  Commodore  BARNEY  landed  with  up- 
wards of  four  hundred  men,  leaving  about  a  hundred  men  to  blow 
up  the  flotilla,  then  a  short  distance  above  Pig  Point,  if  attacked,  and 
likely  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  On  the  22d  of  August  he 
joined  General  Winder's  army  at  the  Woodyard,  where  he  found 
Captain  Miller,*  with  eighty  marines  and  five  pieces  of  heavy  artil- 
lery, placed  under  his  command  by  the  secretary  of  the  navy.  On  the 
24th  of  August  he  marched  to  Bladensburg,  and  pressing  on,  he  found 
the  American  forces  drawn  up,  and  covering  the  road  for  some  distance 
west  of  the  town,  arid  shortly  after  they  became  engaged  with  the 
British.  He  formed  his  own  men,  and  arranged  his  artillery  in  battery, 
and  had  scarcely  so  done  before  the  enemy  appeared  in  the  road,  and 
advanced  upon  him.  He  opened  his  fire  upon  them  with  admirable 
precision,  and  such  destructive  effect,  as  to  drive  them  from  the  road 
at  the  first  discharge  ;  they  rallied  and  returned,  but  it  was  to  meet 
the  same  result.  They  turned  off  to  a  field  on  their  left,  with  the 
view  to  avoid  the  battery  and  continue  their  advance ;  but  Commo- 
dore BARNEY,  observing  the  movement,  directed  the  marines  under 
Captains  Miller  and  Sevier,  and  the  flotilla  men  acting  as  infantry, 

*  Now  Colonel  Miller— 1837. 
7 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

to  charge  them,  whilst  he  poured  a  destructive  fire  upon  their  flank. 
The  charge  was  executed  with  great  celerity  and  determination ;  the 
veterans  of  the  86th  and  4th,  or  "  King's  Own,"  giving  way  before 
it,  and  flying,  pursued  by  their  assailants — the  sailors  crying  out  to 
"  board  them," — until  they  got  into  a  ravine  covered  with  woods,  leav- 
ing their  wounded  officers,  among  whom  was  Colonel  Thornton, 
who  had  led  them  on,  in  the  possession  of  the  Americans.  It  would 
have  been  well  for  the  honor  of  America,  if  all  who  were  present  on 
that  day  had  behaved  with  the  same  decision  and  effect  as  Com- 
modore BARNEY  and  his  command ;  but  whilst  they  were  sus- 
taining the  credit  of  their  country,  the  other  troops  had  disappeared  , 
and  in  the  confusion  of  their  retreat,  the  wagon  containing  the  ammu- 
nition for  his  cannon  and  small  arms  had  been  carried  off.  The 
British  light  troops  acting  en  tirailleur,  had,  in  consequence  of  the 
total  absence  of  any  support,  gained  positions  on  his  flanks  near 
enough  to  produce  effect  with  their  fire,  and  to  wound  and  kill 
several  of  his  best  officers — Captains  Miller  and  Sevier  had  both  been 
wounded  in  charging  the  enemy;  and  Commodore  BARNEY  him- 
self, after  having  had  his  horse  killed  under  him,  received  a  musket 
ball  in  the  thigh.  The  force  of  the  enemy  was  constantly  increasing, 
for  the  want  of  ammunition  prevented  the  only  effective  resistance 
they  had  met  with  from  being  continued  ;  and  an  order  was  given  to 
retreat,  which  the  officers  and  men  who  were  able  to  march  effected 
in  excellent  order  ;  but  the  Commodore's  wound  rendered  him  un- 
able to  move,  and  he  was  made  prisoner.  He  was  treated  by  Gene- 
ral Ross  with  great  attention  and  care,  paroled  upon  the  ground,  and 
conveyed  to  Bladensburg,  where  he  remained  until  the  27th  of 
August,  when  he  was  conveyed  to  his  farm  at  Elkridge. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1814,  Commodore  BARNEY  was  exchanged, 
and  on  the  10th  resumed  the  command  of  the  flotilla ;  but  the  news 
of  peace,  received  in  February,  1815,  rendered  his  services  no  longer 
necessary  to  his  country.  With  the  exception  of  a  voyage  to  Eu- 
rope as  the  bearer  of  despatches,  selected  by  the  president,  to  the 
American  plenipotentiaries,  he  returned  no  more  to  public  life  ;  unless 
the  appointment  of  naval  officer  at  Baltimore,  which  he  received  in 
November,  1817,  from  President  Monroe,  can  be  so  termed.  His 
latter  years  were  occupied  in  the  settlement  of  his  claims  to  a  body 
of  valuable  lands  in  Kentucky,  to  which  state  he  was  preparing  to 
remove  when  he  was  seized  with  a  bilious  fever  at  Pittsburg  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  died,  on  the  1st  of  December,  1818,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-nine.  I. 


Engraved  by  Hoppner  Meyer  fiom  a  Painting  by  J.Wood. 


THOMAS     SAY. 

SCIENCE,  and  particularly  Natural  Science,  has  fewer  holds  upon 
the  popular  attention  than  the  achievements  of  war  or  policy.  La- 
boring to  render  some  small  service  to  the  whole  human  race,  and 
occupied  in  preparing  the  workmanship  of  their  minds  for  the  scru- 
tiny of  men  in  foreign  countries  and  future  ages,  the  votaries  of 
philosophy  may  perhaps  feel  their  task  even  more  dignified  ;  as  its 
field  is  more  extensive  and  permanent  than  the  changes  of  empires. 
They  lean,  perhaps,  habitually  less  to  the  applause  of  the  age  and 
country  in  which  they  live,  than  to  that  gradually  accumulating 
sanction  of  mankind  which  begins  in  obscurity,  and  gradually  dif- 
fuses itself — a  scattered  and  posthumous  fame. 

"  Not  all  at  once,  as  thunder  breaks  the  cloud : 

The  notes  at  first,  were  rather  sweet  than  loud  ; 
fc          By  just  degrees  they  ev'ry  moment  rise, 

Fill  the  wide  earth  and  gain  upon  the  skies !  " 

Yet  as  our  countrymen  have  never  shown  themselves  deaf  to  the 
praise  of  honorable  actions,  though  achieved  in  a  field  in  which 
the  great  mass  takes  but  little  interest,  and  as  they  pride  themselves 
in  the  reputation  of  the  men  who  have  done  honor  to  America  in 
the  closet,  we  do  not  fear  to  entrust  the  fame  of  a  naturalist  to  those 
who  cherish  with  a  just  delight  the  memories  of  Godfrey  and  Rit- 
tenhouse,  or  the  scientific  renown  of  a  Franklin.  The  political 
institutions  of  America,  and  the  abstract  researches  of  the  intellect, 
have  at  least  this  quality  in  common — that  they  are  applicable  to  a 
wider  field  than  a  single  age  or  nation,  and  that  the  lessons  they 
teach,  however  desirable  for  those  who  are  engaged  in  them,  derive 
their  principal  value  from  their  adaptation  to  the  general  service  of 
mankind. 

The  family  of  THOMAS  SAY  was  settled  in  Pennsylvania  from  the 
time  of  its  first  colonization.  His  ancestors  by  the  father's  side  are 
understood  to  have  been  Huguenots,  who  migrated  to  England  in 
pursuit  of  religious  liberty :  and  his  lineal  predecessor,  in  the  fourth 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

degree  of  proximity,  came  to  America  with  William  Penn,  accom- 
panied by  others  of  his  family.  The  integrity  and  activity  of  these 
high  principled  and  determined  men  were  rewarded  by  a  liberal 
share  of  the  Divine  blessings  upon  the  external  circumstances  which 
surrounded  them.  They  and  their  descendants  generally  lived  to  an 
extreme  age,  surrounded  by  peace  and  abundance,  and  enjoying  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  their  fellow-citizens  within  the  colony. 
His  grandfather,  Thomas  Say,  a  very  patriarchal  man,  was  united, 
early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  to  the  religious  society  of  Friends. 
Dr.  Benjamin  Say  was  long  known  in  Philadelphia  as  a  skilful  and 
benevolent  practitioner  of  medicine,  and  enjoyed  in  that  capacity  a 
large  share  of  public  confidence  and  patronage.  Having  been  con- 
nected with  military  proceedings  during  the  war  of  Independence, 
he  joined  that  seceding  portion  of  the  society  of  which  he  had  been 
a  member,  known  by  the  name  of  Free  Quakers. 

The  immediate  subject  of  our  memoir  was  born  July  27th,  1787; 
and  was  the  eldest  son  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Say.  and  Anna,  his  first 
wife,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Bonsall,  Esq.,  of  Kingsessing.  In  his 
early  youth  he  was  brought  up  in  rigid  compliance  with  many  of 
the  peculiar  observances  of  his  religious  connexion.  He  received  a 
considerable  part  of  his  education  at  their  school  at  Westtown  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  remainder  of  it  generally  at  their  other  in- 
stitutions. He  manifested  at  this  period  a  remarkable  docility  of 
temper,  a  profound  and  confiding  respect  for  his  parents  and  teachers, 
and  a  great  fondness  for  study.  He  pursued,  in  independence  of  any 
one's  advice  or  suggestion,  a  very  extended  course  of  reading  among 
the  writers  of  his  own  language ;  a  pursuit,  however,  soon  destined 
to  give  way  to  the  accumulation  of  fact  or  natural  truth. 

At  an  early  period  of  his  life,  a  near  family  connexion  with  the 
celebrated  naturalist,  William  Bartram,  of  Kingsessing,  induced  the 
young  SAY,  together  with  several  of  his  acquaintance,  to  devote  a 
considerable  amount  of  time  to  collecting  objects  for  their  vene- 
rable friend's  museum.  This  occurrence  seems  to  have  fixed  his 
destiny.  The  student,  young  as  he  was,  felt  himself  at  once  in  his 
proper  sphere.  He  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  natural 
history  ;  a  pursuit  which,  though  occasionally  suffering  a  temporary 
interruption,  was  never  wholly  laid  aside  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  The  natural  gaiety  of  youth,  the  attractions  of  fashion,  the 
multiform  allurements  which  surround  a  young  man  of  easy  fortune, 
and  even  the  serious  claims  of  a  commercial  establishment,  were  all 
capable  of  occupying  his  mind  but  for  a  short  season,  to  be  super- 


THOMAS  SAY. 

seded  by  those  boundless  cravings  for  knowledge  which  an  Almighty 
power  had  placed  within  his  breast.  When,  in  compliance  with  the 
earnest  wishes  of  his  father,  he  entered  into  commercial  engagements, 
the  future  naturalist  was  found  by  his  friends  occupied  with  those 
pursuits  for  which  nature  had  designed  him,  and  leaving  the  de- 
tails of  business  to  others.  The  commercial  efforts  proved  unsuc- 
cessful ;  and  Mr.  SAY,  deprived  of  his  patrimony,  instead  of  endea- 
voring to  repair  the  loss,  resolved  to  devote  himself  exclusively  to 
Natural  History.  From  this  may  be  dated  the  commencement  of 
his  purely  scientific  career ;  he  now  began  to  consider  science  as  a 
profession,  and  the  loss  of  worldly  property  seemed  the  road  to  higher 
intellectual  distinction  and  more  enlarged  usefulness. 

The  studies  of  the  youthful  naturalist,  about  this  period,  under- 
went a  temporary  interruption  from  his  service  as  a  volunteer  in 
the  last  war  between  our  country  and  England.  In  common  with 
several  of  his  friends  and  relations,  he  became  a  member  of  the  first 
troop  of  city  cavalry ;  and  in  that  capacity  proceeded  to  Mount  Bull, 
where  he  remained  for  some  time  during  the  years  1812  and  1813. 

On  the  breaking  up  of  this  military  post  at  the  conclusion  of  peace,  he 
had  already  devoted  considerable  labor  to  the  study  of  natural  history 
and  the  collection  of  the  natural  productions  of  our  country,  when 
he  found  the  arena  of  his  usefulness  suddenly  extended  by  the  for- 
mation of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.  When,  on 
the  25th  of  January,  1812,  a  little  association,  which  had  previously 
met  in  a  more  private  manner,  resolved  to  assume  this  style  and  cha- 
racter, it  was  considered  of  importance  that  THOMAS  SAY,  though 
absent  from  the  meeting,  should  be  assumed  as  an  original  member. 

The  compliment  thus  paid  to  a  modest  and  retiring  man,  shows, 
as  was  intended,  the  value  which  was  then  set  upon  his  adhesion 
by  the  six  others  who  thus  associated  him  to  their  number.  How 
amply  his  subsequent  course  justified  their  selection,  the  Academy 
has  gladly  testified.  Such  was  the  effect  of  private  study,  that  his 
subsequent  acquaintance  had  no  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  in- 
fancy of  his  scientific  powers.  His  elementary  knowledge  was  com- 
plete, his  acquaintance  with  classification  adequate,  and  his  power 
of  observing  and  discriminating,  accurate  and  ready.  He  was  at 
once  prepared  for  the  difficult  and  laborious  task  of  describing  and 
cataloguing  American  productions  in  natural  history.  From  this 
period,  and  for  a  considerable  interval,  his  labors  are  almost  exclu- 
sively directed  in  co-operation  with  the  institution  which  he  had 
assisted  in  founding. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

In  the  tasks  undertaken  by  Mr.  SAY,  almost  every  thing  was  to  be 
done.  The  examination  of  the  invertebral  animals  was  to  be  intro- 
duced to  the  notice  of  our  citizens ,  the  myriads  of  minute  objects  of 
this  class  which  attract  the  eye  in  our  country,  were  to  be  investi- 
gated and  described  ;  the  study  was  to  be  created,  and  the  students 
induced  to  prosecute  it. 

For  these  purposes  his  efforts  were  truly  unremitting.  He  was 
attentive  and  regular  in  his  presence  at  the  meetings  of  the  Academy ; 
and  during  the  intervals,  may  be  said  to  have  been  always  at  his 
post.  Those  who  were  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  building  will 
abundantly  recollect  the  uniformity  with  which  he  was  to  be  found 
there.  The  value  of  such  assiduous  attendance,  by  such  a  man, 
may  be  easily  imagined.  Those  who  were  disposed  to  visit  the  es- 
tablishment were  at  all  times  certain  of  agreeable  society ;  for  Mr. 
SAY  was  ever  attentive  to  all  reasonable  calls  for  conversation,  so 
much  as  even  to  surprise  his  friends.  The  effect  of  his  liberality  of 
disposition,  with  his  amenity  of  manner,  was  peculiarly  fascinating ; 
and  tended  forcibly  to  produce  in  the  same  individuals  a  combined 
feeling  of  love  for  the  science,  and  for  the  naturalist  who  had  thus 
gained  their  affections. 

This  indefatigable  and  eminent  man  was  at  all  times  ready  to  be- 
stow the  fruits  of  his  own  researches  upon  those  of  his  friends  who 
felt  an  interest  in  similar  pursuits.  In  this  manner  he  was  incalcu- 
lably serviceable  to  young  students  in  natural  history  by  his  advice 
and  assistance ;  feeling  far  more  anxious  to  extend  the  sphere  of  sci- 
ence in  his  country  than  to  increase  his  own  fame.  This  generosity 
in  bestowing  upon  others  the  results  of  his  own  industry,  so  highly 
characteristic  of  true  genius  and  real  love  for  science,  might  be  re- 
ferred, in  part,  to  a  sense  of  his  own  strength.  He  had  reputation  to 
spare,  and  could  hardly  avoid  feeling  aware  that  the  inquirer  who 
grew  in  science  must  inevitably  form  a  higher  estimation  of  the 
teacher  of  whose  merits  he  thus  became  a  better  judge. 

In  May,  1817,  the  Journal  of  the  Academy  was  commenced ;  and 
Mr.  SAY  continued,  during  the  next  ten  years,  to  be  one  of  its  stea- 
diest and  most  laborious  contributors. 

In  the  autumn  of  that  year  an  expedition  to  Florida  was  organized, 
for  the  purpose  of  procuring  objects  of  natural  history.  The  party 
consisted  of  Messrs.  Maclure,  Ord,  SAY,  and  Peale,  who  spent  the 
winter  in  that  country,  and  collected  a  large  number  of  specimens, 
with  descriptions  of  many  of  which  they  afterwards  enriched  the 
Journal.  In  1819  and  1820  the  celebrated  expedition  to  the  Rocky 


THOMAS  SAY. 

Mountains  took  place,  in  which  Mr.  SAY  took  a  part.  His  learning, 
his  patient  industry,  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the  officers 
of  the  detachment,  are  visible  in  every  page  of  the  narrative ;  and 
the  very  large  portion  which  he  contributed  to  the  work  is  acknow- 
ledged by  the  editor.  This  embraces  the  whole  of  his  favorite  de- 
partment, the  invertebral  animals,  together  with  a  great  variety  of 
additional  subjects,  to  which,  from  circumstances  of  various  kinds,  it 
was  convenient  that  Mr.  SAY  should  direct  his  attention.  In  the 
expedition  to  the  sources  of  St.  Peter's  River,  &c.,  performed  in 
1823,  at  least  equal  labor,  in  proportion  to  the  time  employed,  was 
bestowed  by  him  upon  the  collection  of  materials,  although  a  portion 
of  the  preparation  for  the  press  was  saved  him  by  his  friend,  W.  H. 
Keating,  Esq.,  the  editor. 

During  the  period  of  our  narrative,  compliments  from  abroad  came 
thick  upon  him  ;  on  these,  however,  he  set  but  a  limited  value,  ex- 
cept where  they  were  the  means  of  extending  or  increasing  a  know- 
ledge of  natural  history.  His  correspondence  with  distinguished 
foreign  naturalists  occupied  a  large  portion  of  his  time,  although 
constantly  confined  to  matters  of  science. 

In  the  year  1825,  on  the  foundation  of  the  well-known  settlement 
made  by  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Robert  Owen  at  New  Harmony, 
Indiana,  Mr.  SAY  removed  to  that  place,  at  the  request  of  his  friend, 
William  Maclure,  Esq.,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  with  others  in 
the  erection  of  a  school  of  natural  science.  By  the  munificence  of 
the  distinguished  individual  last  named,  he  enjoyed,  in  the  wilds  of 
the  far  west,  all  the  advantages  of  a  splendid  library,  abundant  fa- 
cilities for  making  collections,  and  a  ready  printing  press.  The 
scientific  world  is  in  possession  of  two  volumes,  the  second  and 
third  of  his  splendid  American  Entomology,  and  six  numbers  of 
his  Conchology  ;  all  which  were  among  the  fruits  of  his  industry 
while  at  New  Harmony.  The  volumes  of  the  Entomology  were 
published  in  Philadelphia,  the  others  in  Indiana. 

It  was  while  at  New  Harmony  that  Mr.  SAY'S  domestic  happiness 
was  enhanced,  by  his  union  with  Miss  Lucy  W.  Sistare,  of  New- 
York,  a  lady  in  every  way  qualified  to  add  to  the  felicity  of  such  a 
man.  In  addition  to  many  elegant  accomplishments,  Miss  Sistare 
possessed  the  advantage  of  a  fondness  for  the  same  pursuits,  and 
great  readiness  and  neatness  with  the  pencil — a  talent  which  was 
employed  to  the  advantage  of  the  beautiful  works  of  which  we  have 
just  spoken. 

Besides  the  elaborate  description  of  a  number  of  natural  objects 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

collected  at  New  Harmony,  and  also  in  Mexico  during  the  tours  in 
that  country  made  by  Mr.  Maclure,  Mr.  SAY  found  himself,  at  this 
late  period  of  life,  again  involved  in  the  cares  of  business  and  the 
superintendence  of  property.  Amid  the  chaos  of  mind  which  the 
settlement  presented,  Mr.  Maclure  felt  the  value  and  necessity  of  old 
and  tried  friendship,  tested  honor,  and  untiring  industry,  in  the  care 
of  his  vast  estates.  In  none  could  he  confide  with  more  unhesitat- 
ing- promptitude  than  in  the  subject  of  our  memoir  ;  and  he  who 
in  early  youth  had  sacrificed  his  own  property  to  the  pursuit  of 
science,  was  willing,  in  maturer  age,  to  devote  his  talents  to  the  care 
of  that  of  his  friend ;  thus  proving,  like  the  Ionian  philosopher,  that 
his  neglect  of  pecuniary  affairs  had  not  arisen  from  want  of  ability, 
but  from  disinclination. 

Amid  these  accumulating  tasks  and  this  honorable  charge,  the 
termination  of  his  labors  was  now  gradually  approaching.  The 
season  was  one  of  unusual  mortality,  and  the  ordinary  and  general 
causes  of  disease  could  only  cooperate  with  the  severe  and  devoted 
application  of  the  naturalist.  Mr.  SAY'S  habits  of  steady  and  pro- 
tracted application,  excessive  abstinence  and  loss  of  sleep,  had  long 
before  this  period  exerted  an  injurious  influence  upon  his  health,  ex- 
hibiting their  effects  in  repeated  attacks  of  fever  and  dysentery ;  and 
when,  in  1833,  he  paid  a  short  visit  to  his  friends  in  Philadelphia, 
for  the  conjoined  objects  of  health  and  science,  the  ravages  of  dis- 
ease were  but  too  visible.  Still,  those  who  knew  him  were  not  con- 
scious that  it  was  then  for  the  last  time  that  he  visited  his  native 
city  or  the  walls  of  his  beloved  academy.  After  several  renewals  of 
disease,  the  same  maladies  returned  with  a  highly  nervous  character  ; 
and  finally,  on  the  10th  of  September,  he  sunk  into  the  arms  of  death 
by  an  easy  dissolution. 

Thus  perished,  while  yet  in  the  vigor  of  his  years,  an  individual  on 
whom  creative  wisdom  appeared  to  have  stamped  in  the  strongest  man- 
ner the  characters  of  a  master  mind  in  the  study  of  the  works  of  God. 

The  character  of  Mr.  SAY  was  in  every  way  singularly  fitted  for 
the  task  which  he  thus  made  the  business  of  his  life.  He  was  gifted 
with  a  strong  intellect,  accurate  powers  of  observation,  vast  assiduity, 
a  freedom  from  those  unsettled  wanderings  of  the  mind  which  are 
so  frequently  the  bane  of  genius,  and  an  enthusiastic  attachment  to 
the  subject  of  his  studies.  In  philosophy,  he  was  an  advocate  for 
that  doctrine  which  attached  exclusive  importance  to  the  evidence 
of  the  senses.  Fact  alone  was  the  object  which  he  thought  worthy 
of  his  researches.  Such  was  the  ardor  of  his  perseverance,  that  for 


THOMAS  SAY. 

a  long  period  he  actually  lived  at  the  Academy,  sleeping  within  the 
walls,  and  only  leaving  the  institution  when  necessary  to  obtain  his 
meals.  The  hours  of  refreshment  were  forgotten,  and  sleep  unhesi- 
tatingly sacrificed,  not  as  an  occasional  exertion,  but  as  a  permanent 
and  persevering  habit.  His  extraordinary  power  of  concentrating 
his  industry  had  an  effect  in  producing  the  peculiar  style  of  his 
pieces.  The  manner  of  writing  in  which  he  most  delighted,  was 
that  of  the  utmost  abridgment  of  which  the  subject  was  capable, 
cutting  off  every  unnecessary  word.  It  was  not  that  he  was  incapa- 
ble of  a  fluent  style,  for  various  parts  of  his  writings  demonstrate  the 
contrary,  such  as  some  of  his  contributions  to  the  narrative  of  the 
Expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  but  he  seemed  to  think  it  an 
injustice  to  the  reader  and  to  science  to  detain  them  from  knowledge 
with  the  smallest  redundancy  of  language.  At  the  same  time  this 
severe  judge  was  far  from  criticising  others  with  the  same  rigor 
which  he  exercised  towards  himself,  and  readily  forgave  the  luxu- 
riance of  style  in  their  works.  His  own  manner,  when  he  indulged 
in  his  beloved  brevity,  was  certainly  liable  to  the  objection  of  diffi- 
culty to  untutored  readers :  but  still  more,  perhaps,  to  the  risk  of 
alarming  students  by  its  apparent  obscurity,  than  to  the  reality,  as 
the  knowledge  which  was  requisite  was  always  actually  present, 
though  comprised  in  few  words.  It  is  unnecessary  to  add,  that  the 
naturalists  are  not  a  few  to  whom  this  abridged  style  is  a  recommen- 
dation. 

The  communications  of  Mr.  SAY  to  natural  science  are  numerous 
and  of  considerable  bulk ;  and  their  number  has  probably  surprised 
even  some  of  his  acquaintance.  They  are  scattered  through  a  variety 
of  publications,  not  all  devoted  to  natural  history,  and  one  of  these  even 
a  newspaper ;  the  student  finds  it  impossible,  without  considerable 
exertion,  to  avoid  overlooking  some  of  them,  and  it  is  too  much  to 
be  feared  that  individual  memoirs  are  irrecoverably  lost.  No  esti- 
mate of  their  value,  and  the  labor  necessary  to  produce  them,  can, 
however,  be  founded  on  their  simple  bulk ;  nor  can  they  be  com- 
pared to  others  upon  such  a  principle.  If  we  take  into  view  the  ex- 
treme labor  which  he  uniformly  bestowed  upon  his  productions, 
first  to  insure  their  accuracy,  and  then  to  compress  them  within  the 
smallest  possible  space,  the  amount  of  work  executed  by  this  inde- 
fatigable writer  will  appear  enormously  augmented. 

But  it  is  not  by  the  rules  of  arithmetic  that  the  labors  of  Mr.  SAY 
are  to  be  judged  in  any  respect.  To  form  a  just  idea  of  the  space  in 
public  utility  occupied  by  him,  it  would  be  desirable,  if  possible,  to 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

make  an  estimate  of  the  vacuities  which  existed  in  American  science, 
of  the  judgment  which  he  formed  of  them,  and  of  the  success  of  his 
endeavors  to  fill  them.  This  task  we  shall  not  attempt  to  execute. 
It  was  in  the  immense  range  of  the  invertebraJs  that  Mr.  SAY  ex- 
hausted his  labor. 

Arid  among  these  it  may  be  said,  as  of  a  former  writer,  that  he  left 
scarce  any  department  untouched,  and  none  that  he  touched  unim- 
proved. His  descriptions  of  species  are  most  numerous  among  the 
annulose  and  the  molluscous  animals,  although  he  also  made  investiga- 
tions among  the  radiated,  as  appears  from  the  list  of  his  publications, 
and  among  the  entozoary.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  he  exhausted 
any  of  these  departments :  the  stores  of  nature  within  our  country  are 
too  extensive,  and  much,  doubtless,  remains  for  future  observers.  Yet 
he  described  the  large  and  laborious  numbers  which  serve  for  the  gene- 
ral materials  of  classification  ;  he  outlined  the  extended  and  accurate 
map,  to  which  the  task  of  making  local  additions  is  easy,  but  which 
forms  the  necessary  and  only  guide  to  those  who  would  make  further 
admeasurements.  It  is  not  that  there  is  no  more  gold  in  the  mine  ; 
but  in  raising  his  own  ore,  Mr.  SAY  has  constructed  the  shafts  and 
galleries,  pointed  out  the  veins,  and  indicated  by  his  example  the 
best  manner  of  working  them.  He  laid  down  the  broad  masses  of 
coloring,  which,  however  they  may  be  augmented  and  retouched 
by  the  persevering  pencil  of  the  future  artist,  must  still  form  the 
basis,  and  in  very  numerous  cases,  the  perfection  of  the  picture. 
Every  familiar  object  in  these  departments,  that  frequently  met  the 
eye,  but  produced  a  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  because  no  description 
or  place  for  it  was  to  be  found  in  the  writers  on  natural  history,  re- 
ceived its  character  from  his  hands.  His  task  was  that  of  Adam,  to 
name  the  animals  as  they  passed  before  him. 

His  modesty  at  first  induced  him  to  attempt  few  and  isolated 
species,  and  departments  of  small  extent ;  and  as  time  gave  him  ex- 
perience of  his  powers,  he  ventured  farther.  A  few  scattered  insects 
and  shells,  ascertained  to  be  undescribed,  with  great  labor  and  pre- 
caution first  received  their  characters  and  names  from  him.  Next 
he  undertook  the  Crustacea  of  the  United  States,  which  he  described 
and  classified.  He  then  extended  his  labor  to  a  larger  number  of 
shells,  selecting  those  of  the  land  and  of  the  fresh  waters.  Next, 
after  despatching  several  detached  and  limited  groups,  he  entered 
among  the  vast  masses  of  the  Insect  Kingdom.  In  this  immense 
field  he  described  a  very  large  number  of  species,  belonging  to  nearly 
all  its  departments.  Perhaps,  even  here  we  may  discover  a  new 


THOMAS  SAY. 

illustration  of  the  character  of  the  man  ;  and  a  dislike  of  show  may 
not  improbably  have  been  among  the  reasons  which  induced  him  to 
postpone  his  attention  to  the  brilliant  and  popular  department  of 
butterflies  and  moths.  Our  naturalist  had  now  achieved  so  much 
of  his  task  that  he  could  afford  to  be  desultory  ;  and  his  pieces  from 
this  period  assume  a  more  diversified  character.  His  share  in  the 
two  expeditions  by  Major  Long,  is  truly  multifarious.  Besides  the 
departments  which  he  considered  peculiarly  his  own,  it  embraces,  as 
we  have  already  had  occasion  to  observe,  a  very  large  amount  of 
matter  foreign  to  his  ordinary  habits  of  study,  and  requiring  a  dif- 
ferent manner  of  composition.  Some  of  the  most  interesting  portions 
are  those  which  describe  the  manners  of  the  Indians.  He  is  the  his- 
torian of  all  the  facts  that  were  collected  in  those  districts  which  lie 
traversed  with  a  small  detachment  of  troops  under  his  separate  com- 
mand ;  he  obtained,  although  not  professing  philology,  the  vocabu- 
lary of  the  Killisteno  language ;  and  on  the  expedition  to  the  sources 
of  St.  Peter's  River,  he  made  the  whole  of  the  botanical  collections, 
which  afterwards  formed  the  basis  of  a  memoir  appended  to  the  pub- 
lished narrative  by  the  late  Mr.  De  Schweinitz.  In  fossil  zoology, 
his  description  of  new  species  of  the  Crinoidea  is  considered  highly 
valuable.  Several  other  memoirs  in  this  department,  in  which  Ame- 
rica until  lately  presented  such  a  mass  of  unknown  objects,  will  be 
found  in  the  catalogue  of  his  papers.  Several  of  Mr.  SAY'S  papers 
appear,  however  elaborate,  to  have  been  at  first  but  little  known  to 
naturalists  ;  it  appearing  to  have  been  his  first  object  in  many  in- 
stances to  procure  a  public  record  of  his  papers  in  print,  so  as  to 
establish  his  claims  to  the  date  of  his  discoveries,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  obtained  duplicates  to  transmit  to  his  learned  correspondents  ; 
leaving  it  to  subsequent  times  to  republish  them,  and  thus  secure 
their  wider  diffusion  and  more  easy  access. 

His  natural  temper  was  one  of  the  most  amiable  ever  met  with. 
The  phrase  was  frequent  in  the  mouths  of  his  intimates,  that,  "  it  was 
impossible  to  quarrel  with  him."  His  great  respect  for  his  parents, 
and  his  compliance  with  their  wishes,  have  been  already  mentioned. 
He  was  repaid,  notwithstanding  his  retired  life  and  exclusive  devo- 
tion to  science,  by  a  singular  strength  of  attachment  on  the  part  of 
his  friends ;  and  we  have  already  spoken  of  the  confidence  of  Mr. 
Maclure.  His  modesty  was  so  retiring,  and  the  wish  which  he  fre- 
quently expressed  "  to  save  trouble  "  to  others  so  great,  that  to  men 
in  the  habit  of  living  much  in  the  world  they  might  perhaps  appear 
incredible.  The  contrast  of  these  with  surrounding  manners,  was 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

occasionally  so  remarkable  as  almost  to  amount  to  eccentricity  and 
a  satire  on  the  times. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  add,  that  he  was  tall  and  spare,  but  mus- 
cular, and  apparently  endowed,  before  his  health  was  injured  by  re- 
peated illness,  with  considerable  strength.  This  enabled  him  better 
to  struggle  with  the  fatigues  of  toilsome  journeys  and  the  wasting 
inactivity  of  study.  His  complexion  was  dark,  with  black  hair. 

Mr.  SAY  will  always  be  remembered  by  those  who  pursue  the 
study  of  Zoology  as  one  of  the  greatest  American  naturalists  ;  while, 
at  the  same  time,  his  fame  will  be  cherished  in  his  native  city  as  one 
of  the  most  efficient  founders  and  supporters  of  his  favorite  academy, 
and  one  of  the  individuals  who  have  contributed  most  to  diffuse  a 
taste  for  these  sciences  among  the  American  youth. 

10  C. 


Kngravcd  by  E 


JONATHAN    TRUMBULL. 

JOSEPH  TRUMBULL,  the  ancestor  of  the  Trumbull  family,  came,  as 
is  understood,  from  Cumberland  County,  England,  to  Ipswich,  in 
Massachusetts,  in  the  year  1640.  His  son,  John,  removed  to  Sufneld, 
Hartford  County,  Connecticut,  which  was  then  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  Massachusetts.  He  had  three  sons,  John,  Joseph,  and 
Benoni.  Their  descendants  have  been  distinguished  in  the  civil,  po- 
litical, and  literary  history  of  the  State.  John  Trumbull,  the  cele- 
brated author  of  McFingal  and  other  poems,  was  the  son  of  John, 
who  was  a  distinguished  clergyman  at  Waterbury.  The  Reverend 
Benjamin  Trumbull,  D.  D.,  the  historian,  was  the  son  of  Benoni, 
who  was  a  clergyman  at  Hebron.  JONATHAN  TRUMBULL  was  the 
son  of  Joseph,  who  settled  at  Lebanon  as  a  merchant,  where  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir  was  born,  on  the  10th  of  June,  (O.  S.)  1710. 

He  entered  Harvard  College  in  1724,  and  graduated  with  honor 
in  1727.  He  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  Theology  with 
the  Rev.  Solomon  Williams  of  Lebanon.  In  due  time  he  was  li- 
censed to  preach,  and  soon  after  was  invited  to  settle  in  the  ministry 
at  Colchester,  in  his  native  State.  While  deliberating  upon  the  sub- 
ject, a  family  affliction  turned  the  current  of  his  life  into  another 
channel.  An  elder  brother,  who  was  engaged  in  business  with  his 
father,  had  sailed  on  a  voyage  to  London,  in  June  1732,  and  was  never 
more  heard  of.  For  a  long  time  a  forlorn  hope  was  entertained  that 
the  vessel  had  been  captured  by  the  Algerines  ;  but,  distressing  as  even 
that  hope  was,  time  proved  it  to  be  fallacious.  The  loss  of  this  son, 
with  the  vessel  and  cargo,  which  wholly  belonged  to  them,  was  se- 
verely felt  by  the  aged  father,  who  found  himself  unfitted  to  settle  up 
his  mercantile  concerns  without  the  assistance  of  his  surviving  son, 
who,  at  the  urgent  request  of  his  father,  with  great  reluctance  de- 
clined the  call  of  the  church  at  Colchester. 

In  closing  up  the  affairs  of  his  brother,  JONATHAN  TRUMBULL 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

gradually  commenced  business  for  himself,  and  was,  for  many  years, 
a  merchant  in  his  native  town.  He  imported  his  goods  direct  from 
London,  and  by  his  fair  and  upright  dealing  secured  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  public. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly  of  the  Colony.  Here  a  new  scene  opened  before  him. 
His  talents  for  public  business  were  soon  perceived  and  acknow- 
ledged, and  he  rose  rapidly  in  the  estimation  of  the  freemen  of  the 
Colony.  He  was  soon  chosen  speaker  of  the  House,  and  shortly  af- 
terward a  member  of  the  Council.  In  1766  he  was  elected  Lieute- 
nant-Governor  of  the  Colony,  and,  by  virtue  of  that  office,  Chief 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  He  continued  in  that  office  until  1768. 
Pitkin,  the  Governor  of  the  Colony,  being  advanced  in  life,  was  cau- 
tious in  his  proceedings  upon  the  absorbing  subjects  which  then  agi- 
tated the  public  mind.  The  right  claimed  by  the  British  Parliament 
of  taxing  the  Colonies  at  their  pleasure,  and  the  passage  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  caused  great  excitement.  Governor  Pitkin,  and  several  of  the 
council,  took  the  oath  enjoined  by  the  British  Government  on  that 
occasion ;  but  the  Lieutenant-Governor  absolutely  refused  to  take  it 
himself,  or  to  be  present  when  it  was  administered  to  others. 

In  resistance  to  the  arbitrary  acts  of  Parliament,  no  person  in  the 
Colony  was  more  active,  ardent,  or  energetic,  than  Lieutenant-Go- 
vernor TRUMBULL. 

In  1769  he  was  chosen  by  the  people  Governor  of  the  Colony,  as 
one  on  whom,  in  times  of  danger  and  trouble,  they  could  safely  rely ; 
and  he  fulfilled  their  expectations  to  the  end  of  his  career.  He  de- 
cided in  council,  by  his  casting  vote,  to  resist,  by  force  of  arms,  the 
encroachments  of  Great  Britain  against  the  liberties  of  the  Colony. 
This  was  an  act  of  fearful  responsibility,  considering  the  power  of 
the  nation  to  be  resisted  and  the  means  of  defence  ;  and  it  may  here 
be  remarked,  that  he  was  \he  only  Colonial  Governor,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolution,  who  espoused  the  cause  of  the  people. 
During  the  whole  controversy  he  remained  steadfast  in  the  cause  ; 
and  he  was  the  only  Governor  of  a  State  who  held  his  station  through 
the  war.  He  was  not  only  considered  the  leader  of  the  Whigs  in  his 
own  State,  but  throughout  New  England.  His  firmness  in  danger ; 
his  persevering  spirit  in  the  most  gloomy  period ;  his  ardor,  patriot- 
ism, and  zeal  in  his  country's  cause ;  endeared  him  to  all  lovers  of 
their  country.  As  a  politician,  his  views  were  clear,  correct,  and 
open ;  and  the  soundness  and  sagacity  of  his  opinions  and  judgment 
were  proved  by  the  happy  results  which  followed  his  undeviating 


-"^JONATHAN  TEJJMBULL. 

f...    «^4^ 

cmirse.    As  he  never  paused  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  so  he 
never  despaired  of  the  triumph  of  his  countrymen. 

The  immense  business  he  ^transacted,  and  the  manner  in  which  it 

.  "y\^ done,  pYoved  his  dilige«ce,*abil%,  and  fidelity.  During  the 
whole  war  of  the%tevolution  a  council  of  safety  sat  with  him,  except 

•^  during%the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly :  at  all  other  times  he 
and  his  council  were  the  Executive  of  the  State.  In  addition  to  his 
duties  as  Governor,  and  his  attendance  with  the  Legislature,  (at  least 
three  times  a  year,)  he  sat  in  council  during  the  war  more  than  one 
thousand  days.  His  correspondence  with  the  Governors  of  the  other 
States,  and  with  the  Commander-in-chiei'  and.  other,  officers  of  the 
army,  was  very  extensive.  He  promptly  complied  with  the  requisi- 
tions of  General  Washington  for  supplies,  to  the  extent  of  his  ability, 
or  the  power  of  the  State  :  and  it  is  a  fact  not  generally  known,  that 
Connecticut  furnished  the  United  States  with  more  troops  and  sup- 
plies than  any  other  State  in  the  Union,  except  Massachusetts.  In 
addition  to  the  contributions  of  Connecticut  to  the  forces  of  the  Union, 
her  own  sons » defended  their  soil  themselves.  It  is  believed  the 
United  States  never  furnished  a  regiment  for  her  protection,  or  to 
repel  an  invading  enemy,  and  yet  the  enemy  never  rested  a  single 
night  in  the  State  undisturbed. 

The  foreign  correspondence  of  Governor  TRUMBULL  was  not  only 
extensive,  but  of  great  importance  to  the  country,  and  should  be  pub- 
lished ;  as  we  are  confident,  from  what  we  have  seen  of  it,  that  it 
would  not  only  be  highly  interesting,  but  that  it  would  reflect  a  light 
upon  the  history  of  the  time,  untinged  by  personal  or  partizan  preju- 
dices, and  confirm  the  claims  of  the  venerable  Governor  to  a  place  in 
the  first  rank  of  American  patriots.  A  few  extracts  from  his  domestic 
and  foreign  correspondence  will  illustrate  its  character. 

Letter  from  Governor  TRDMBULL  to. Governor  Gage. 

11  Hartford,  April  28th,  1775. 
"  SIR, 

"  The  alarming  situation  of  public  affairs  in  this  country,  and  the  late  unfortunate  transac- 
tions in  the  province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  have  induced  the  General  Assembly  of  this 
Colony,  now  sitting  in  this  place,  to  appoint  a  committee  of  their  body  to  wait  upon  your 
Excellency,  and  to  desire  me,  in  their  name,  to  write  to  you  relative  to  these  very  interesting 
matters. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  this  Colony  are  intimately  connected  with  the  people  of  your  province, 
and  esteem  themselves  bound,  by  the  strongest  ties  of  friendship  as  well  as  of  common  in- 
terest, to  regard  with  attention  whatever  concerns  them.  You  will  not  therefore  be  surprised 
that  your  first  arrival  at  Boston  with  a  body  of  his  Majesty's  troops,  for  the  declared  purpose 
of  carrying  into  execution  certain  acts  of  Parliament,  which  in  their  apprehension  were  un- 
constitutional and  oppressive,  should  have  given  the  good  people  of  this  Colony  a  very  just 
•  and  general  alarm.  Tour  subsequent  proceedings,  in  fortifying  the  town  of  Boston,  and 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS.. 

other  military  preparations,  greatly  increased  their  apprehensions  for  the  safety  of  their  friend! 
and  brethren  ;  they  could  not  be  unconcerned  spectators  of  their  sufferings,  in  that  which  is 
esteemed  the  common  cause  of  this  country :  but  the  late  hostile  and  secret  inroads  of  some 
of  the  troops  under  your  command  into  the  heart  q^thc  country,  and  the  violences  they  have 


committed,  have  driven  them  almost  into  a  state  of  desperation.  They  feel  now,  not  only  for 
their  friends,  but  for  themselves,  and  for  their  dearest  interests  andjfonnexions.  We  wish 
not  to  exaggerate,  we  are  not  sure  of  every  part  of  our  information ;  but  by  the  best  intelli- 
gence that -\ve  have  yet  been  able  to  obtain,  the  late  transaction  was  a  most  unprovoked 
attack  upon  the  lives  and  property  of  his  Majesty's  subjects,  and  it  is  represented  to  us 
that  such  outrages  have  been  committed  as  would  disgrace  even  barbarians,  and  much  more 
Britons,  so  highly  famed  for  humanity  as  well  as  bravery.  It  is  feared,  therefore,  that  we 
are  devoted  to  destruction,  and  that  you  have  it  in  command  and  intention  to  ravage  and 
desolate  the  country.  If  this  is  not  the  case,  permit  us  to  ask,  why  have  these  outrages  been 
committed  ?  Why  is  the  town  of  Boston  now  shut  up  ?  To  what  end  are  all  the  hostile 
preparations  that  are  daily  making?  And  why  do  we  continually  hear  of  fresh  destinations 
of  troops  for  this  country  ?  The  people  of  the  Colony,  you  may  rely  upon  it,  abhor  the  idea 
of  taking  arms  against  the  troops  of  their  sovereign,  and  dread  nothing  so  much  as  the  hor- 
rors of  civil  war.  But,  at  the  same  time,  we  beg  leave  to  assure  your  Excellency,  that  as 
they  apprehend  themselves  justified  by  the  principle  of  self-defence,  so  they  are  most  firmly 
resolved  to  defend  their  rights  and  privileges  to  the  last  extremity  ;  nor  will  they  be  restrained 
from  giving  aid  to  their  brethren  if  any  unjustifiable  attack  is  made  upon  them.  Be  so  good, 
therefore,  as  to  explain  yourself  upon  this  most  important  subject,  as  far  as  is  consistent  with 
your  duty  to  our  common  sovereign.  Is  there  no  way  to  prevent  this  urfliappy  dispute  from 
coming  to  extremities  ?  Is  there  no  alternative  but  absolute  submission,  or  the  desolations 
of  war?  By  that  humanity  which  constitutes  so  amiable  a  part  of  your  character,  for  the 
honor  of  our  sovereign,  and  by  the  glory  of  the  British  empire,  we  entreat  you  to  prevent  it, 
if  it  be  possible.  Surely  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  temperate  wisdom  of  the  empire  might 
even  yet  find  expedients  to  restore  peace,  that  so  all  parts  of  the  empire  may  enjoy  their  par- 
ticular rights,  honors,  and  immunities.  Certainly  this  is  an  event  most  devoutly  to  be  wished 
for.  And  will  it  not  be  consistent  with  your  duty  to  suspend  the  operations  of  war  on  your 
part,  and  enable  us  on  ours  to  quiet  the  minds  of  the  people,  at  least  till  the  result  of  some 
further  deliberations  may  be  known  ?  The  importance  of  the  occasion  will,  we  doubt  not, 
sufficiently  apologize  for  the  earnestness  with  which  we  address  you,  and  any  seeming  im- 
propriety which  may  attend  it,  as  well  as  induce  you  to  give  us  the  most  explicit,  and  favor- 
able answer  in  your  power. 

"  I  am,  with  great  esteem  and  respect, 
"  in  behalf  of  the  General  Assembly, 

"  Sir,  Your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"JONATHAN  TRCMBULL." 

Letter  from  Governor  TRCMBULL  to  the  Baron  Van  De  Capellan  of  Holland; 

"  Lebanon,  27th  June,  1777. 

"  The  cause  of  Liberty  is  not  peculiar  to  one  free  State— it  is  a  common  cause ;  the  de- 
struction of  one  cannot  be  indifferent  to  the  few  other  free  States,  which  God,  in  his  Pro- 
vidence, hath  preserved  from  being  swallowed  up  by  tyranny.  It  was  with  the  greatest 
pleasure  we  were  informed  that  the  States  of  Holland  refused  to  lend  their  troops  to  Great 
Britain,  to  be  used  in  extending  the  dominion  of  tyranny  over  these  States,  and  effacing  al- 
most the  only  traces  of  liberty  which  remain  in  one  quarter  of  the  globe  ;  I  cannot  suf- 
ficiently express  the  gratitude  we  feel  for  the  generous  part,  you,  Sir,  was  pleased  to  take  in 
that  matter,  worthy  of  a  senator  of  a  free  State,  and  a  candid  and  impartial  friend  of  li- 
berty and  humanity: 

"  In  the  United  States  of  America  you  will  be  revered.    We  are  now  reduced  to  the  ne- 


JONATHAN  TRUMBULL. 

cessity  of  defending,  by  force,  against  the  power  of  a  renowned  and  mighty  empire,  our 
ancient  and  indubitable  rights,  immunities,  and  privileges,  founded  upon  national  liberty, 
confirmed  by  Royal  charters,  of  the  predecessors  of  the  (present)  King  of  Great  Britain ; 
approved  and  recognized  by  successive  Parliaments ;  and  enjoyed,  from  the  first  settlement 
of  these  States,  to  the  present  day.  The  present  reign  opened  with  a  deliberate  system 
and  digested  plan  to  reduce  these  States  to  the  most  abject  dependence  and  vassalage.  By 
our  ancient  charters,  by  the  most  solemn  contracts  with  our  kings,  we  were  to  have,  and  en- 
joy, all  the  liberties,  privileges,  and  immunities  of  free  and  natural  born  subjects  of  the 
realm  of  England ;  of  these  privileges,  that  which  fixes  private  property,  and  exempts  the 
subject  from  taxation  but  by  his  own  consent,  has  been  always  justly  reputed  the  chief,  the 
loss  of  which  involves  in  it,  or  draws  after  it,  the  loss  of  all  the  rest;  this  v/as  first  attacked." 

After  giving  a  statement  of  the  rise,  origin,  and  cause  of  the  con- 
test between  the  Colonies  and  the  Mother  country,  their  petitions  and 
causes  of  complaints,  &c.  (which,  from  its  length,  cannot  be  inserted 
in  this  article,)  he  says  : 

"To  many,  the  views  of  the  British  cabinet  had  been  long  apparent ;  most  people,  how- 
ever, had  flattered  themselves  the  nation  would  not  suffer  the  Court  to  take  away  their 
privileges  by  force;  and  that  at  length  they  would  be  confirmed  ;  but  now,  it  is  become  evi- 
dent to  all,  that  the  design  to  strip  them  of  their  privileges,  and  lay  their  lives  and  property 
at  the  mercy  of  a  haughty  and  unfeeling  ministry  and  a  venal  Parliament,  was  fixed  and 
determined  ;  and  that  no  step  tending  to  that  end  would  be  deemed  inexpedient  or  unjust,  if 
practicable.  On  the  19th  day  of  April,  1775,  the  scene  of  blood  was  opened  by  the  British 
troops,  by  the  unprovoked  slaughter  of  the  Provincial  troops  at  Lexington  and  Concord. 
The  adjacent  Colonies  took  up  arms  in  their  own  defence;  the  Congress  again  met,  again 
petitioned  the  Throne  for  peace  and  settlement ;  and  again  their  petitions  were  contemptu- 
ously disregarded.  When  every  glimpse  of  hope  failed,  not  only  of  justice  but  of  safety, 
we  were  compelled,  by  the  last  necessity,  to  appeal  to  Heaven,  and  rest  the  defence  of  our 
liberties  and  privileges  upon  the  favor  and  protection  of  Divine  Providence  ;  and  the  resist- 
ance we  could  make  by  opposing  force  to  force.  Although  the  war  was  begun  on  our  part, 
under  the  greatest  disadvantages,  without  any  preparation  of  arms,  artillery,  military  stores, 
magazines  of  provisions,  or  other  necessaries,  which  proves  to  demonstration  that  the  war 
did  not  proceed  from  any  ambitious,  premeditated  plan  on  our  part ;  yet  Heaven  has  so 
smiled  upon  us  hitherto,  that  we  have  been  able  to  maintain  ourselves  and  make  head 
against  our  enemies.  And,  although  all  Europe  has  resounded  with  ostentatious  accounts  of 
their  victories  and  success,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  they  have  not  yet  been  able  to  maintain 
themselves  in  any  post  where  they  were  not  protected  by  their  navy ;  or  where,  if  attacked, 
they  could  not  immediately  retire  on  board  their  transports.  And  we  have  yet  good  hopes 
and  a  fair  prospect,  with  the  smiles  of  Heaven,  of  making  a  good  defence,  and  vindicating 
our  liberty  against  the  unjust  attempts  of  power  to  deprive  us  of  it.  From  our  brethren 
in  Great  Britain  we  have  not  experienced  their  boasted  candor,  impartiality,  and  clemency. 
We  appeal  from  their  injustice  to  the  Supreme  Governor  and  Judse,  and  to  the  candid 
censure  of  the  impartial  world.  In  you,  Sir,  and  in  your  wise  and  generous  sentiments,  we 
find  that  justice,  the  sincerity  of  our  intention  and  rectitude  of  our  measures  entitle  us  to 
hope  for.  We  may  justly  flatter  ourselves  that  no  free  State  will  so  far  forget  what  is  due  to 
their  own  glory  and  interest,  as  to  lend  their  aid  to  exterminate  liberty,  (even)  from  the 
wilds  of  America ;  might  they  not  rather  be  expected  to  assist  in  preserving  what  liberty 
yet  remains  upon  earth  from  falling  a  sacrifice  to  the  encroachments  and  avidity  of 
Tyrants — lest  Liberty  itself  should  be  banished  or  forced  from  amongst  men,  and  universal 
tyranny,  with  its  attendant  calamities  and  miseries,  overwhelm  the  whole  human  race?  Bui 

5 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

I  desist ;  it  is  not  my  intention  to  send  you  a  history.  I  would  only  thank  you  for  your  fa- 
vorable sentiments  of  us,  and  request  a  continuance  of  your  good  offices  as  far  as  we  shall 
appear  to  you  to  deserve  them." 

The  Baron's  answer  was  received,  dated  Zwoll,  7th  Dec.  1779, 
written  in  Dutch — some  few  extracts  are  here  inserted : — 

"  To  be  the  object  of  public  esteem  of  a  people,  worthy  and  virtuous  as  the  brave  Ameri- 
cans, is  a  thing  so  great,  that  all  the  credit  of  your  name,  (as  also  of  Mr.  Erkelaus,)  could 
not  persuade  me  that  I  have  merited  the  smallest  part  of  the  gratitude  which  you  please  to 
testify  (on  their  part)  for  the  small  services  I  have  tried  to  render  them. 

"It  is  true,  Sir,  I  have  engaged,  since  the  year  1775,  in  the  good  cause  of  your  com- 
patriots, with  that  zeal  as  the  love  of  liberty  inspired  me,  for  such  as  dare  to  defend  it, 
against  the  horrors  of  all  sorts  of  oppression ;  but  after  all,  what  I  have  done,  is  nothing 
but  an  act  of  pure  justice.  By  my  birth  I  am  a  member  of  the  nobles  of  my  Province,  and 
am  called  in  the  Assembly  of  the  States,  not  States  General,  (as  is  believed  in  your  coun- 
try,) but  of  the  Province  of  Overysell.  I  should  have  thought  myself  responsible  for  the 
innocent  blood  which  has  been  shed  in  your  country,  if  I  had  permitted  such  things  without 

opposition,  Sac. One  other  cause  of  the  mistrust  of  the  Americans'  credit  is,  the  false 

news  which  the  English  continue  to  make  concurrent,  which  the  friends  of  America  cannot 
contradict,  by  want  of  information  ;  it  would  be  of  the  last  importance  to  enable  them,  by 
authentic  information,  and  which  contains  nothing  that  is  not  exact  and  true.  If  you  would 
choose,  Sir,  to  honor  me  with  such  a  correspondence,  be  persuaded  I  will  make  a  very  good 
use  of  it  Communicate  news  as  in  confidence,  and  it  will  have  more  effect  Your  letters, 
which  I  have  communicated  to  others  in  Amsterdam,  (however,  with  discretion,  and  with- 
out giving  copies  as  yet,)  have  made  a  deep  impression  on  all  who  have  read  them  ;  all 
regretted  that  such  a  true  and  energetic  defence  of  the  cause  of  United  America  should  be 
buried  in  the  portfolio  of  a  private  correspondence.  A  description  of  the  present  state  of 
United  America,  the  forms  of  Governments  in  the  different  Republics,  of  the  facilities 
with  which  strangers  can  establish  themselves  there,  and  find  subsistence,  the  price  of 
lands,  &c.,  with  a  history  of  the  present  war  and  the  cruelties  committed  by  the  English, 
would  do  wonders  in  a  land  where  we  don't  know  America  even  by  the  newspapers ;  and 

where  there  is,  in  the  mean  time,  a  very  great  number  of  honest  people,  who but 

I  would  here  very  near  forget  to  be  a  Hollander.  Continue  to  write  me  in  English.  Yes, 
Sir,  I  long  to  make  our  epistolary  correspondence  to  be  a  basis  of  friendship,  which,  founded 
on  our  mutual  attachment  to  the  liberty  of  the  human  race,  would  become  the  most  solid. 
I'll  try  to  merit  the  same  so  much,  that  I  beg  you  to  believe  that  I  am,  with  all  respect  due 
to  your  virtue,  your  talents,  and  your  character, 

"  Sir,  I  am, 
(Signed.)  "JoHAN.  THEODORE  VAN  DE  CAPELLAN." 

The  correspondence  continued  till  the  Governor's  death. 

In  1780  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut  passed  an  act  to 
authorize  a  loan  abroad.  The  confidence  which  the  firm  and  open 
character  of  his  correspondence  had  inspired  now  came  into  use  for 
the  country.  The  Governor  took  great  interest  in  effecting  this  loan, 
that  the  finances  of  the  State  might  be  placed  upon  a  sure  footing. 
The  following  letter  to  his  son,  Colonel  John  Trumbull,  who  was 
then  in  Europe,  will  give  his  own  views  on  the  subject : — 


JONATHAN  TRUMBULL. 

"  Lebanon,  30«/i  Dec.  1780. 
"DEAR  SON, 

"The  General  Assembly  of  this  State  have  passed  an  act  to  obtain  a  loan  from  Holland 
or  elsewhere,  to  the  amount  of  £200,000,  on  terms  which  the  enclosed  act  will  show  you. 
This  will  go  under  cover  to  Messrs.  Neufville  &  Son,  in  Amsterdam,  to  whom  I  refer  you, 
among  others,  for  their  assistance  and  council.  As  our  prospects  principally  centre  in  Holland, 
I  can  wish  this  letter  may  find  you  there,  and  that  you  will  pay  your  first  and  most  assidu- 
ous attention  to  that  quarter.  Give  me  the  earliest  information  of  the  way  and  probable  ex- 
pense of  getting  the  money  in  specie  here,  and  of  whatever  else  you  may  judge  needful  for  me 
to  be  advised.  This  (loan)  is  not  sought  on  the  principles  of  despair,  but  to  put  our  finances 
on  a  better  footing ;  the  spirit  of  the  country  remains  firm  and  steady ;  men  for  three  years, 
or  during  the  war,  will  fill  and  complete  the  army :  I  hope  to  get  the  finances  (of  our  State) 
upon  a  sure  and  good  footing. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  Son, 

"Your  ever  affectionate  Father, 

"  JONATHAN  TRUMBULL." 

The  services  of  Governor  TRUMBULL,  throughout  the  war,  were 
of  very  great  importance,  not  merely  to  Connecticut,  but  to  the  United 
States.  "  General  Washington  relied  on  him  as  one  of  his  main  pil- 
lars of  support,"  says  Mr.  Sparks,  in  a  note  to  one  of  Washington's 
letters  ;  and,  indeed,  the  numerous  letters  of  the  General  to  the  Go- 
vernor, which  have  been  published,  are  full  of  evidence  of  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  remark. 

In  October,  1783,  Governor  TRUMBULL  declined  any  further 
election  to  public  office.  "  A  few  days,"  said  he,  in  his  address  to  the 
General  Assembly,  "will  bring  me  to  the  anniversary  of  my  birth  ; 
seventy-three  years  of  my  life  will  then  be  completed ;  and  next 
May,  fifty-one  years  will  have  passed  since  I  was  first  honored  with 
the  confidence  of  the  people  in  a  public  character.  During  this  pe- 
riod, in  different  capacities,  it  has  been  my  lot  to  be  called  to  public 
service  almost  without  interruption.  Fourteen  years  I  have  had  the 
honor  to  fill  the  chief  seat  of  Government.  With  what  carefulness, 
with  what  zeal  and  attention  to  your  welfare,  I  have  discharged  the 
duties  of  my  several  stations,  some  few  of  you,  of  equal  age  with 
myself,  can  witness  for  me  from  the  beginning.  During  the  latter 
period,  none  of  you  are  ignorant  of  the  manner  in  which  my  public 
life  has  been  occupied !  The  watchful  cares  and  solicitude  of  an 
eight  years'  distressing  and  unusual  war  have  also  fallen  to  my 
share,  and  have  employed  many  anxious  moments  of  my  latest  time  ; 
which  have  been  cheerfully  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  my  country. 
Happy  am  I  to  find  that  all  these  cares,  anxieties,  and  solicitudes  are 
amply  compensated  by  the  noble  prospect  which  now  opens  to  my 
fellow-citizens,  of  a  happy  establishment  (if  we  are  but  wise  to  im- 
prove the  precious  opportunity)  in  peace,  tranquillity,  and  national 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

independence.  With  sincere  and  lively  gratitude  to  Almighty  God, 
our  great  protector  and  deliverer,  and  most  hearty  congratulations  to 
all  our  citizens,  I  felicitate  you,  Gentlemen,  the  other  freemen,  and  all 
the  good  people  of  the  State,  in  this  glorious  prospect. 

"Impressed  with  these  sentiments  of  gratitude  and  felicitation, 
reviewing  the  long  course  of  years  in  which,  through  various  events, 
I  have  had  the  pleasure  to  serve  the  State ;  contemplating,  with 
pleasing  wonder  and  satisfaction,  at  the  close  of  an  arduous  contest,  the 
noble  and  enlarged  scenes  which  now  present  themselves  to  my  coun- 
try's view  ;  and  reflecting,  at  the  same  time,  on  my  advanced  stage  of 
life — a  life  worn  out  almost  in  the  constant  cares  of  office — I  think  it 
my  duty  to  retire  from  the  busy  concerns  of  public  affairs  :  that  at 
the  evening  of  my  days  I  may  sweeten  their  decline  by  devoting 
myself  with  less  avocation  and  more  attention  to  the  duties  of  reli- 
gion, the  service  of  my  God,  and  preparation  for  a  future  and  hap- 
pier state  of  existence  ;  in  which  pleasing  employment  I  shall  not 
cease  to  remember  my  country,  and  to  make  it  my  ardent  prayer  that 
Heaven  will  not  fail  to  bless  her  with  her  choicest  favors. 

"  At  this  conspicuous  moment,  therefore,  of  my  country's  happi 
ness,  when  she  has  just  reached  the  goal  of  her  wishes,  and  obtained 
the  object  for  which  she  has  so  long  contended,  and  so  nobly  strug- 
gled, I  have  to  request  the  favor  from  you,  Gentlemen,  and  through 
you,  from  all  the  freemen  of  the  State,  that,  after  May  next.  I  may  be 
excused  from  any  further  service  in  public  life  ;  and  that  from  this 
time  I  may  be  no  longer  considered  as  an  object  of  your  suffrages  for 
any  public  employment  in  the  State." 

After  thanking  the  Assembly  for  the  aid  which  they  had  always 
afforded  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  the  Governor  availed 
himself  of  his  experience,  and  rendered  his  last  address  "  an  advisory 
legacy  "  to  his  constituents.  It  is  a  patriarchal  document,  worthy  of 
the  admiration  of  the  lovers  of  their  country ;  and  as  such  we  com- 
mend it  to  the  sons  of  Connecticut,  that  it  may  be  rescued  from 
oblivion,  and  have  its  place  amongst  the  wise  and  patriotic  counsel  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Governor  TRUMBULL  did  not  long  survive  to  enjoy  the  tranquillity 
of  private  life.  He  was  seized  with  a  malignant  fever,  and,  after  a 
few  days'  illness,  died  on  the  17th  of  August.  1785. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  was  a  remarkable  man,  even 
amongst  the  prominent  men  of  his  time.  Educated  for  the  ministry, 
and  his  career  changed  by  unexpected  events  to  the  discharge  of  the 
highest  civil  duties  of  the  State,  there  was  a  combination  of  religion 


JONATHAN  TRUMBULL. 

and  worldly  wisdom  in  all  his  actions,  and  which  may  be  traced  in 
his  correspondence.  Even  his  manners  were  characterized  by  the 
same  traits,  and  won  the  admiration  and  regard  of  those  who  were 
familiar  with  Courts  and  courtiers,  as  well  as  of  his  own  unsophisti- 
cated countrymen. 

He  was  an  indefatigable  student ;  and  notwithstanding  his  weighty 
responsibilities  and  official  cares,  he  found  time  to  "  search  the 
Scriptures  "  in  the  original  languages ;  kept  up  his  acquaintance 
with  ancient  and  modern  history;  and  did  more  than  any  other 
person  of  his  day  to  preserve  the  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of 
his  own  country.  He  retained  the  costume  of  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  the  primitive  habits  of  his  fathers  ;  he  was 
grave,  and  serious,  and  mild  in  his  discourse,  but  firm  and  resolute 
in  action.  He  took  time  to  deliberate  on  all  subjects,  and  expressed 
his  opinions  forcibly  and  with  decision. 

The  following  letter,  addresssed  to  the  venerable  Governor's  son, 
(who  was  afterward  Governor,)  will  be  read  with  attention  and 
respect ;  and,  in  addition  to  what  we  have  already  stated,  will,  we 
believe,  furnish  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  numerous  inquiries  we 
have  received,  why  we  have  selected  a  subject  about  whom  so  little 
is  generally  known  : — 


"  Mount  Vernon,  Oct.  1st,  1785. 
"Mr  DEAR  SIR, 

"  It  has  so  happened  that  your  letter  of  the  1st  of  last  month,  did  not  reach  me  until  Sa- 
turday's post 

"  Vou  know  too  well  the  sincere  respect  and  regard  I  entertained  for  your  venerable 
father's  public  and  private  character,  to  require  assurance  of  the  concern  I  felt  for  his  death ; 
or  of  that  sympathy  in  your  feelings  for  the  loss  of  him,  which  is  prompted  by  friendship. 
Under  this  loss,  however,  great  as  your  pangs  may  have  been  at  the  first  shock,  you  have 
every  thing  to  console  you. 

"  A  long  and  well-spent  life  in  the  service  of  his  country,  places  GOVERNOR  TRUMBULL 
among  the  first  of  patriots.  In  the  social  duties  he  yielded  to  no  one;  and  his  lamp,  from 
the  common  course  of  nature  being  nearly  extinguished,  worn  down  with  age  and  cares, 
but  retaining  his  mental  faculties  in  perfection,  are  blessings  which  rarely  attend  advanced 
life.  All  these  combined,  have  secured  to  his  memory  unusual  respect  and  love  here,  and, 
no  doubt,  unmeasurable  happiness  hereafter. 

"  I  am  sensible  that  none  of  these  observations  can  have  escaped  you,  that  I  can  offer 
nothing  which  your  own  reason  has  not  already  suggested  upon  the  occasion  ;  and  being  of 
Sterne's  opinion,  that  "  before  an  affliction  is  digested,  consolation  comes  too  soon,  and  after 
it  is  digested  it  comes  too  late,  there  is  but  a  mark  between  these  two,  almost  as  fine  as  a 
hair,  for  a  comforter  to  take  aim  at,"  I  rarely  attempt  it ;  nor  should  I  add  more  on  this  sub- 
ject to  you,  as  it  will  be  a  renewal  of  sorrow,  by  calling  afresh  to  your  remembrance  things 
that  had  better  be  forgotton. 

"My  principal  pursuits  are  of  a  rural  nature,  in  which  I  have  great  delight,  especially  as 
I  am  blessed  with  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  Mrs.  Washington,  on  the  contrary,  is 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

hardly  erer  well ;  but,  thankful  for  your  kind  remembrance  of  her,  joins  me  in  every  good 
wish  for  you,  Mrs.  Trumbull,  and  your  family. 

"Be  assured,  that  with  sentiments  of  the  purest  esteem  and  regard,  I  am, 
"  Dear  Sir,  your  affectionate  friend, 

"  And  obedient  servant, 

"Gso.  WASHINGTON." 
10 


: 


JOHN  MCLEAN. 

THE  subject  of  this  notice  is  one  of  those  remarkable  men,  who, 
by  the  force  of  their  own  independent  exertions,  have  risen  from  ob- 
scurity into  great  reputation,  and  into  the  highest  offices  in  the  nation. 
History  has  been  said  to  be  philosophy  teaching  by  example ;  and 
this  is  more  eminently  true  with  regard  to  Biography,  where  every 
lineament  of  the  character  is  marked  with  more  distinctness,  and  is 
seen  under  a  clearer  light. 

JOHN  MCLEAN  was  born  llth  March,  1785,  in  Morris  County.  New 
Jersey.  When  he  was  about  four  years  of  age  his  father  removed  to 
the  western  country.  He  remained  a  year  at  Morgan  town  in  Virgi- 
nia, and  then  removed  to  that  part  of  the  State  which  has  since  been 
erected  into  the  State  of  Kentucky.  He  first  settled  on  Jessamine, 
near  where  the  town  of  Nicholasville  is  now  situated ;  but  in  1793 
he  removed  to  the  neighborhood  of  Mayslick,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  until  the  year  1797,  when  he  emigrated  to  the  then  north- 
western territory  (now  Ohio),  and  settled  on  the  farm  on  which  the 
son  now  lives.  At  an  ealy  age  John  was  sent  to  school,  and  made 
unusual  proficiency  for  one  whose  general  opportunities  were  so  li- 
mited. 

The  old  gentleman  being  in  narrow  circumstances,  and  having  a 
pretty  large  family,  was  unable  to  send  JOHN  from  home  to  be  edu- 
cated. He  continued,  therefore,  to  labor  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  his  father  consented  to  his  placing 
himself  successively  under  the  instruction  of  the  Reverend  Matthew 
E.  Wallace  and  of  Mr.  Stubbs,  by  whose  assistance  he  made  great 
advance  in  the  study  of  the  languages.  During  this  period,  his  ex- 
penses, both  for  board  and  tuition,  were  defrayed  by  himself;  for  so 
limited  were  the  circumstances  of  his  father,  that  he  generously  re- 
fused any  assistance  from  him. 

When  about  eighteen  years  of  age  young  McLEAN  went  to  write 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

in  the  clerk's  office  of  Hamilton  County.  This  employment,  at  the 
same  time  that  it  would  enable  him  to  support  himself,  would  also 
initiate  him  into  the  practical  part  of  the  law,  the  profession  on  which 
he  had  already  fixed  his  ardent  and  aspiring  mind.  The  arrange- 
ment was.  that  he  should  write  in  the  office  for  three  years,  but  re- 
serving a  certain  portion  of  each  day  for  study ;  and  at  the  same 
time  he  was  to  prosecute  the  study  of  law  under  the  direction  of  Ar- 
thur St.  Glair,  an  eminent  counsellor,  and  son  of  the  illustrious  Ge- 
neral of  that  name.  It  is  in  this  way  that  a  mind  animated  by  a 
genuine  ambition,  and  firm  and  determined  in  its  purposes,  is  fre- 
quently able  to  overcome  the  greatest  difficulties,  and  to  show  with 
how  much  ease  industry  and  virtue  can  triumph  over  all  the  disad- 
vantages of  obscurity  and  poverty. 

During  his  continuance  in  the  office,  young  McLEAN  was  indefati- 
gable in  the  prosecution  of  his  double  duties.  He  also  became  a 
member  of  a  debating  society,  the  first  which  was  formed  in  Cincin- 
nati ;  and  it  is  a  fact  entitled  to  notice,  that  most  of  the  young  men 
who  contributed  to  its  formation  have  since  distinguished  themselves 
in  the  public  service  of  their  country.  Young  MCLEAN  took  an  ac- 
tive part  in  the  discussions  which  were  held  in  this  society.  The  no- 
tice which  his  efforts  attracted  still  further  confirmed  him  in  the  de- 
termination which  he  had  already  taken  not  to  aim  at  any  ordinary 
mark,  but  to  make  the  highest  intellectual  distinction  the  prize  of  his 
ambition. 

In  the  Spring  of  1807  MR.  McLEAN  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Edwards,  daughter  of  Dr.  Edwards,  formerly  of  South  Carolina ;  a 
lady  who,  to  the  most  amiable  manners,  unites  the  utmost  benevolence 
of  character,  and  who  has  presided  over  the  cares  of  a  large  family 
with  the  greatest  judgment  and  discretion. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  MR.  McLEAN  was  admitted  to  the 
practice  of  the  law,  and  settled  at  Lebanon.  Here  he  immediately  at- 
tracted notice,  and  soon  rose  into  a  lucrative  practice  at  the  bar.  In 
October,  1812,  he  was  elected  to  congress  in  the  district  in  which  he 
resided,  by  a  very  large  majority  over  both  his  competitors. 

From  his  first  entrance  upon  public  life  MR.  MCLEAN  was  identi- 
fied with  the  democratic  party.  He  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  war 
and  of  the  administration  of  Mr.  Madison  ;  not  that  he  was  the  blind 
and  undistinguishing  advocate  of  every  measure  which  was  proposed 
by  his  party  ;  for  he  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  turn  over  the  pub- 
lic journals  of  that  period,  will  find  that  his  votes  were  mainly  given  in 
reference  to  principle,  and  that  the  idea  of  supporting  a  dominant 


JOHN  McLEAN. 

party,  merely  because  it  was  dominant,  did  not  influence  his  judg- 
ment, or  withdraw  him  from  the  high  path  of  duty  which  he  had 
marked  out  for  himself.  He  was  well  aware  that  the  association  of 
individuals  into  parties  was  sometimes  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
prosecution  and  accomplishment  of  any  great  public  measure.  This 
he  supposed  was  sufficient  to  induce  the  members  composing  them,  on 
any  little  difference  with  the  majority,  to  sacrifice  their  own  judg- 
ment to  that  of  the  greater  number,  and  to  distrust  their  own  opinions 
when  they  were  in  contradiction  to  the  general  views  of  the  party. 
But  as  party  was  thus  to  be  regarded  as  itself  only  an  instrument  for 
the  attainment  of  some  great  public  good,  the  instrument  should  not 
be  raised  into  greater  importance  than  the  end,  nor  any  clear  and  un- 
doubted principle  of  morality  be  violated  for  the  sake  of  adhering  to 
party.  MR.  McLEAN  often  voted  against  his  political  friends ;  and  so 
highly  were  both  his  integrity  and  judgment  estimated,  that  no  one 
of  the  democratic  party  separated  himself  from  him  on  that  account, 
nor  did  this  independent  course  in  the  smallest  degree  diminish  the 
weight  which  he  had  acquired  among  his  own  constituents. 

The  first  session  which  he  attended  was  the  extra  session  in  the 
summer  after  the  declaration  of  war.  At  this  session,  the  tax  bills 
were  passed  to  sustain  the  war.  The  law  which  was  passed  to  in- 
demnify individuals  for  property  lost  in  the  public  service  was  origi- 
nated by  MR.  McLEAN,  and  very  naturally  contributed  to  add  to  the 
reputation  with  which  he  had  set  out  in  public  life.  At  the  ensuing 
session  he  introduced  a  resolution,  instructing 'the  proper  committee 
to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  giving  pensions  to  the  widows  of 
the  officers  and  soldiers  who  had  fallen  in  the  military  service,  which 
was  afterwards  sanctioned  by  law.  At  this  session  he  also  delivered 
a  very  able  and  effective  speech  in  defence  of  the  administration  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  war.  This  was  published  in  the  leading  jour- 
nals of  that  day,  and  gave  an  earnest  of  the  future  eminence  which 
our  subject  was  destined  to  attain. 

MR.  McLEAN  was  a  member  of  the  committees  of  foreign  relations 
and  on  the  public  lands. 

In  the  fall  of  1815  he  was  re-elected  to  Congress  with  the  same 
unanimity  as  before.  During  the  same  year  he  was  solicited  to  be- 
come a  candidate  for  the  senate,  which  he  declined,  inasmuch  as  the 
House  seemed  at  that  time  to  present  the  widest  arena  for  the  display 
of  talents  and  for  the  acquisition  of  public  fame.  MR.  McLEAN  was 
at  this  period  barely  eligible  to  a  seat  in  the  senate,  having  just  at- 
tained his  thirtieth  year. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Finding  that  the  expenses  of  a  family  were  greater  than  the  com- 
pensation he  received  as  a  member  of  Congress,  and  having  no  other 
resources  than  were  derived  from  his  personal  exertions,  he  consented 
to  become  a  candidate  for  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  and 
was  elected  to  that  office  in  1816,  unanimously.  The  duties  of  this 
station  he  discharged  with  great  ability.  His  mind  seemed  to  combine 
all  the  leading  qualities  which  are  requisite  in  a  Judge,  and  his  ad- 
vancement to  the  office  was  felt  to  be  a  public  advantage  to  the  whole 
State.  Meanwhile  his  reputation  abroad  was  increasing  in  propor- 
tion ;  and  in  the  summer  of  1822  Mr.  Monroe  appointed  him  Com- 
missioner of  the  General  Land  Office.  The  emoluments  of  this  office 
were  larger  than  the  salary  of  Judge.  This  was  a  consideration  which 
was  entitled  to  great  weight.  Judge  MCLEAN  had  a  growing  family, 
whom  he  was  anxious  to  educate  ;  and  at  the  same  time  that  he  would 
now  be  better  able  to  accomplish  this  darling  object,  the  schools  in  the 
district  would  present  a  better  opportunity  for  attaining  the  higher 
branches  of  education.  He  remained  in  this  station,  however,  only 
until  the  first  of  July,  1823,  when  he  was  appointed  Postmaster- 
General. 

Many  of  his  friends  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  accepting  this 
office.  They  urged  that  the  former  incumbents  had  found  its  duties 
exceedingly  arduous,  while  at  the  same  time  they  were  not  exempted 
from  a  large  share  of  that  abuse  and  calumny  which  is  so  often  wan- 
tonly and  indiscriminrtely  heaped  upon  the  public  servants.  It  was 
agreed  by  many  that  no  one  could  acquire  reputation  in  the  office. 
But  Judge  McLean  determined  to  repose  upon  the  virtue  and  intelli- 
gence of  the  people,  and  he  went  into  the  office  with  the  determina- 
tion of  devoting  his  days  and  nights  to  the  discharge  of  its  duties. 

The  finances  of  the  department  were  in  a  low  condition,  and  it  did 
not  possess  the  public  confidence.  But  immediately  order  was  res- 
tored, and  the  public  confidence  revived.  And  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent how  easy  it  is  to  manage  the  most  complicated  business  when 
the  requisite  ability  and  industry  are  put  in  requisition  for  the  task. 
In  a  short  time  the  finances  of  the  department  were  in  a  most  flourish- 
ing condition ;  despatch  and  regularity  were  given  to  the  mails,  and 
the  commercial  intercourse  of  the  whole  country  was  prosecuted  with 
the  utmost  celerity  and  ease. 

Inefficient  contractors  were  dismissed,  and  the  same  course  was 
adopted  with  regard  to  the  postmasters  and  other  agents  of  the  depart- 
ment. Judge  MCLEAN  controlled  the  entire  action  of  the  department. 
The  whole  correspondence  was  superintended  and  directed  by  him. 


JOHN  McLEAN. 

He  gave  his  undivided  and  personal  attention  to  every  contract  which 
was  made  or  altered.  All  appointments,  all  charges  against  postmas- 
ters, were  acted  on  by  him.  In  short,  there  was  nothing  done,  involv- 
ing the  efficiency  or  character  of  the  department,  which  was  not  done 
under  his  immediate  sanction. 

When  he  accepted  the  office,  the  salary  of  the  Postmaster-General 
was  four  thousand  dollars.  A  proposition  was  made  to  increase  it  to 
six  thousand,  and  was  sanctioned  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  by 
an  almost  unanimous  vote,  in  1827.  There  were,  indeed,  very  few 
votes  against  it ;  and  some  of  the  members  who  were  opposed  to  it,  re- 
gretted that  they  were  compelled  to  pursue  that  course.  In  the  senate, 
the  bill  passed  also,  almost  unanimously.  Mr.  Randolph  voted  against 
it,  and  said  the  salary  was  for  the  officer  and  not  for  the  office  ;  and  he 
proposed  to  vote  for  the  bill  if  the  law  should  be  made  to  expire  when 
Judge  McLEAN  left  the  department. 

During  the  whole  period  that  the  affairs  of  the  department  were  ad- 
ministered by  Judge  McLEAN,  he  had,  necessarily,  a  most  difficult 
part  to  act.  The  country  was  divided  into  two  great  parties,  animated 
by  the  most  determined  spirit  of  rivalry,  and  each  bent  upon  advanc- 
ing itself  to  the  lead  of  public  affairs.  A  question  of  great  import  was 
now  started,  whether  it  was  proper  to  make  political  opinions  the  test 
of  qualification  for  office.  Such  a  principle  had  been  occasionally 
acted  upon  during  preceding  periods  of  our  history,  but  so  rarely,  as 
to  constitute  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.  It  had  never  become 
the  settled  and  systematic  course  of  conduct  of  any  public  officer. 
Doubtless  every  one  is  bound  to  concede  something  to  the  temper  and 
opinions  of  the  party  to  which  he  belongs,  otherwise  party  would  be 
an  association  without  any  connecting  bond  of  alliance  :  but  no  man 
is  permitted  to  infringe  any  one  of  the  great  rules  of  morality  and  jus- 
tice for  the  sake  of  subserving  the  interests  of  his  party.  It  cannot  be 
too  often  repeated,  nor  too  strongly  impressed  upon  the  public  men  of 
America,  that  nothing  is  easier  than  to  reconcile  these  two  apparently 
conflicting  views.  The  meaning  of  party  is  that  it  is  an  association  of 
men  for  the  purpose  of  advancing  the  public  interests.  Men  flung 
together,  indiscriminately,  without  any  common  bond  of  alliance, 
would  be  able  to  achieve  nothing  great  and  valuable ;  while,  united 
together,  to  lend  each  other  mutual  support  and  assistance,  they  are 
able  to  surmount  the  greatest  obstacles,  and  to  accomplish  the  most 
important  ends.  This  is  the  true  notion  of  party.  It  imports  com- 
bined action,  but  does  not  imply  any  departure  from  the  great  princi- 
ples of  truth  and  morality.  So  long  as  the  structure  of  the  human 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

mind  is  so  different  in  different  individuals,  there  will  always  be  a 
wide  scope  for  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  public  measures ;  but  no 
foundation  is  yet  laid  in  the  human  mind  for  any  material  difference 
of  opinion  as  to  what  constitutes  the  great  rule  of  justice. 

The  course  which  was  pursued  by  Judge  MCLEAN  was  marked  by 
the  greatest  wisdom  and  moderation.  Believing  that  every  public  offi- 
cer held  his  office  in  trust  for  the  people,  he  determined  to  be  influ- 
enced by  no  other  principles,  in  the  discharge  of  his  public  duties,  than 
a  faithful  performance  of  the  trust  committed  to  him.  No  individual 
was  removed  from  office  by  him  on  account  of  his  political  opinions. 
In  making  appointments,  where  the  claims  and  qualifications  of  indi- 
viduals were  equal,  and  at  the  same  time  one  was  known  to  be  friendly 
to  the  administration,  he  felt  himself  bound  to  appoint  the  one  who  was 
friendly.  But  when  persons  were  recommended  for  office,  it  was  not 
the  practice  to  name,  as  a  recommendation,  that  they  were  friendly  to 
the  administration.  In  all  such  cases  the  man  who  was  believed  to 
be  the  best  qualified  was  selected  by  the  department. 

On  the  arrival  of  General  Jackson  at  Washington,  after  his  elec- 
tion, and  when  he  was  about  selecting  the  members  of  his  cabinet, 
Judge  MCLEAN  was  sent  for  to  ascertain  whether  he  was  willing  to 
remain  at  Washington.  Gen.  Jackson  having  stated  the  object  he 
had  in  view  in  requesting  an  interview,  the  Judge  remarked  to  him, 
before  he  submitted  any  proposition  on  the  subject,  that  he  was  desi- 
rous to  explain  to  him  the  line  of  conduct  which  he  had  hitherto  pur- 
sued. He  observed,  that  the  General  might  have  received  the  im- 
pression from  some  of  the  public  prints  that  the  Postmaster-General 
had  wielded  the  patronage  of  his  office  for  the  purpose  of  advancing 
the  General's  election  to  the  Presidency  :  that  he  wished  it  distinctly 
to  be  understood  that  he  had  done  no  such  thing,  and  that  if 
he  had  pursued  such  a  course,  he  would  deem  himself  unworthy 
of  the  confidence  of  the  President  elect,  or  of  any  honorable  man. 
The  General  replied  with  warm  expressions  of  regard  and  con- 
fidence, that  he  approved  of  his  course,  and  wished  him  to  re- 
main in  the  post-office  department.  He  at  the  same  time  expressed 
regret  that  circumstances  did  not  enable  him  to  offer  the  Judge 
the  Treasury  department.  The  War  and  the  Navy  departments  were 
subsequently  tendered  to  him,  but  he  declined  them  both.  After- 
wards Gen.  Jackson  sent  for  him,  expressed  great  regret  at  his 
leaving  Washington,  and  made  unbounded  professions  of  friendship  it 
he  would  consent  to  remain.  But  the  Judge's  resolution  had  been 
taken,  and  he  was  determined  to  adhere  to  it.  The  spirit  of  party 


JOHN  McLEAN. 

had  become  unusually  bitter  and  acrimonious,  and  threatened  to  over- 
leap all  the  fences  with  which  it  had  been  hitherto  confined.  He  be- 
lieved that  it  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  him  to  pursue  the 
even  and  measured  course  which  he  had  hitherto  followed  with  so 
much  credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  nation.  Retirement  from 
political  life  seemed,  under  such  circumstances,  most  desirable.  The 
President,  however,  wishing  to  avail  himself  of  abilities  which  had 
been  exerted  so  long  in  behalf  of  the  public  welfare,  offered  him  the 
place  of  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  highest  judicial  station  in 
the  country ;  and  on  his  signifying  that  he  would  accept,  he  was  im- 
mediately nominated,  and  the  nomination  ratified  by  the  senate. 

Soon  after  this  appointment  many  of  the  public  journals  in  the 
northern,  middle,  and  western  states  introduced  his  name  to  the  pub- 
lic as  a  candidate  for  the  presidency  at  the  succeeding  election.  Many 
of  the  opposition  papers  adhered  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  the  name  of  Mr. 
Calhoun  was  brought  out  in  some  parts  of  the  South.  The  An ti- Ma- 
sonic party  showed  a  strong  disposition  to  rally  upon  Judge  McLEAN, 
and  it  was  clear  that  that  party  could  not  elect,  unless  the  other  ele- 
ments of  opposition  should  unite  with  them. 

The  Anti-Masons  met  in  convention  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1831, 
and  Judge  McLEAN  addressed  a  letter  to  the  members  of  the  conven- 
tion, declining  a  nomination.  In  this  letter  he  declared,  that  "  If  by 
a  multiplicity  of  candidates,  an  election  by  the  people  should  be  prevent- 
ed, he  should  consider  it  a  national  misfortune.  In  the  present  agitated 
state  of  the  public  mind,  an  individual  who  should  be  elected  to  the 
chief  magistracy  by  less  than  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  the  people, 
could  scarcely  hope  to  conduct  successfully  the  business  of  the  nation. 
He  should  possess  in  advance .  the  public  confidence,  and  a  majority 
of  the  suffrages  of  the  people  is  the  only  satisfactory  evidence  of  that 
confidence." 

Shortly  after  the  re-election  of  Gen.  Jackson,  his  name  was  again 
brought  forward,  in  the  first  instance  by  a  nomination  of  the  people  in 
Baltimore,  which  was  followed  by  similar  nominations  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, Ohio,  New  Jersey,  and  several  other  States.  A  majority  of  the 
members  of  the  Ohio  legislature  also  nominated  him  for  the  same 
place.  At  length,  in  August,  1835,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  chair- 
man of  one  of  the  principal  committees,  in  which  he  expressed  the 
same  sentiments  he  had  declared  on  the  preceding  occasion.  He  was 
aware  that  this  course  would  discourage  his  friends,  but  he  was  not 
desirous  to  attain  the  office,  except  on  such  terms  as  would  enable 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

him  to  carry  out  those  principles  which  would  elevate  and  tranquil- 
lize the  political  action  of  the  country. 

Judge  McLEAN  has  been  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  more 
than  seven  years,  during  the  whole  of  which  he  has  been  eminently 
distinguished  for  his  learning,  ability,  and  eloquence.  If  there  is  any 
one  field  of  jurisprudence  in  which  he  is  more  distinguished  than 
another,  it  may  be  said  to  be  constitutional  law.  in  which,  though  there 
is  less  opportunity  for  the  display  of  mere  learning,  there  is  at  any  rate 
wider  scope  for  the  exercise  of  the  power  of  reasoning  and  investiga- 
tion. There  is  no  human  reputation  more  enviable  than  that  which 
is  acquired  in  this  office.  Independently  of  the  peimanent  tenure  of 
the  station,  the  opportunities  are  so  frequent  for  the  exertion  of  the 
highest  intellectual  ability,  that  it  would  seem  to  offer  greater  temp- 
tations to  ambition  than  even  the  office  of  chief  magistrate. 

Judge  McLEAN  is  still  in  the  vigor  of  life,  and  unless  withdrawn 
from  this  high  station  by  the  solicitations  of  his  countrymen,  may 
continue  for  many  years  to  discharge  its  duties  with  the  same  ability 
and  wisdom  which  have  uniformly  distinguished  him. 


<^UHAJU$ 


LOUISA  CATHERINE  ADAMS. 

IN  our  Republic,  where  the  principle  of  distribution  is  perpetually  at 
work  against  the  long  continuance  of  property  in  the  hands  of  any  race 
of  individuals,  the  duties  of  the  female  sex  may  be  generally  expected 
to  prove  too  burdensome  to  admit  of  great  devotion  to  pursuits  exclu- 
sively literary  or  political,  or  even  to  that  species  of  social  influence 
which,  in  other  countries,  has  not  unfrequently  made  women  the  ar- 
biters of  weal  or  woe  to  a  nation.  The  position  in  life  of  the  greater 
number,  is  determined  by  the  accident  of  marriage,  and  depends  upon 
the  success  of  exertions  more  often  made  by  their  partners  after  than 
before  that  event.  Mere  wealth  is  rather  an  obstacle  than  an  aid  to 
the  acquirement  of  the  distinction  most  coveted  in  America,  while  po- 
litical success  often  attends  him  in  advanced  age,  who  has,  in  early 
days,  struggled  hard  with  poverty,  and  devolved  upon  a  wife,  selected 
perhaps  with  sole  reference  to  the  most  ordinary  duties  of  life,  all  the 
drudgery  of  domestic  cares.  The  duties  of  a  housekeeper,  a  wife,  and 
a  mother,  while  they  make  every  woman  who  faithfully  executes  them 
respectable  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  do  not,  when  exclusively  pur- 
sued, so  well  fit  her  to  shine  upon  that  brilliant  theatre  of  politics  and 
fashion  to  which  she  may  yet  be  called.  This  may  in  part  account 
for  the  somewhat  remarkable  absence  of  female  biography  in  the  an- 
nals of  our  nation,  and  for  the  little  power  which  appears  hitherto  to 
have  been  exerted  by  individuals  of  that  sex  in  the  circles  of  Ameri- 
can society.  At  the  same  time  it  ought  never  to  be  forgotten  that  the 
greatest  praise  is  due  to  those,  who  have  been  by  circumstances  dis- 
tinguished above  the  rest,  for  having,  as  well  by  example  as  by  pre- 
cept, so  rigidly  preserved  the  standard  of  our  morality  pure  ;  in  this 
manner  earning  for  themselves  a  far  more  substantial  claim  to  the  pub- 
lic gratitude,  than  all  the  fame  which  ever  grew  out  of  the  brilliant 
salons  of  the  corrupt  society  in  the  French  metropolis. 

Mrs.  LOUISA  CATHERINE  ADAMS  in  early  life  enjoyed  advantages 
not  usual  at  that  period  to  American  ladies.  The  daughter  of  Joshua 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Johnson,  a  citizen  of  the  colony  of  Maryland,  engaged  in  commercial 
pursuits  in  London,  she  was  born  in  that  city  on  the  12th  of  Fe- 
bruary, 1775.  Mr.  Johnson,  although  established  in  the  mother  coun- 
try when  the  Revolution  commmenced,  was  not  one  of  those  who  took 
sides  with  her,  and  settled  into  the  character  of  refugees  and  exiles 
from  their  native  land.  While  his  brother,  Thomas  Johnson,  took  a 
leading  part  at  home,  both  in  the  Colony  and  as  a  delegate  to  the  first 
Congress,  and  the  remaining  members  of  a  numerous  family  were  ac- 
tively engaged  in  the  war  which  ensued ;  he,  himself,  retired  from 
Great  Britain  to  Nantes  in  France.  There  he  received,  from  the  federal 
congress,  an  appointment  as  commissioner  to  examine  the  accounts  of 
all  the  American  functionaries  then  entrusted  with  the  public  money  of 
the  United  States  in  Europe  ;  in  the  exercise  of  the  duties  of  which 
he  continued  until  the  peace  of  1782.  Our  National  Independence 
having  then  been  recognised,  he  returned  to  London,  where  he  conti- 
nued to  reside,  and  where  he  acted  as  consular  agent  for  the  United 
States,  until  his  final  return,  in  1797,  to  his  native  soil. 

It  thus  happened  that  the  early  years  of  Mrs.  ADAMS  were  passed 
partly  in  Great  Britain  and  partly  in  France,  from  each  of  which 
she  derived  advantages  of  observation,  and  opportunities  for  accom- 
plishment in  mind  and  manners,  not  very  common  with  her  country- 
women of  that  day.  These  eminently  fitted  her  for  the  part  she  was 
in  after-life  called  to  perform.  In  the  house  of  her  father  in  London, 
then  a  general  resort  for  all  Americans,  who,  whether  for  business  or 
pleasure,  frequented  that  metropolis,  she  was  introduced  into  society  ; 
and  it  was  here  that  Mr.  John  duincy  Adams,  when  commissioned  by 
President  Washington  to  exchange  the  ratifications  of  the  Treaty  of 
19th  November,  1794,  and  to  agree  upon  arrangements  for  carrying 
some  of  its  provisions  into  execution,  found  her.  The  dry  details  of 
diplomatic  conference  were  relieved  by  evenings  of  social  intercourse, 
and  the  formalities  of  British  negotiation  made  less  tedious  by  the 
awakening  of  the  most  agreeable  sympathies.  Mr.  Pinkney  arrived, 
and  Mr.  Adams  became  released  from  his  official  duties  ;  but  in  the 
mean  time  a  matrimonial  engagement  had  been  contracted,  which,  on 
the  26th  day  of  July,  1797,  that  is,  the  year  following  these  events,  ter- 
minated in  a  marriage,  at  the  church  of  All-Hallows,  where  Miss  John- 
son became  Mrs.  ADAMS. 

The  discriminating  eye  of  President  Washington  marked  out  Mr. 
Adams,  while  a  young  lawyer,  in  Boston,  writing  political  essays 
upon  the  leading  topics  of  that  day,  as  fit  for  the  public  service.  For 
some  years  prior  to  this  marriage,  he  had  been  occupying  the  station 


LOUISA  CATHERINE  ADAMS. 

of  minister  resident  at  the  Hague,  and  the  eminent  ability  of  his  offi- 
cial despatches  confirmed  the  impression  he  had  previously  made.  It 
procured  for  him  the  very  honorable  and  confidential  trust  which  car- 
ried him  to  London,  as  well  as  a  subsequent  promotion  to  be  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  Lisbon.  He  was  upon  the  eve  of  departure  at  the 
period  of  his  marriage,  when  the  accession  of  his  father,  John  Adams, 
to  the  Presidency,  occurred.  This  was  productive  of  no  advancement, 
but  simply  of  a  transfer  from  Lisbon  in  Portugal,  to  a  position  in  the 
same  capacity  at  Berlin  in  Prussia. 

Perhaps  it  is  not  easy  at  this  time  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  po- 
sition occupied  by  representatives  of  the  United  States  at  the  Courts 
of  the  sovereigns  of  Europe  at  the  period  now  referred  to.  We  were 
regarded  as  hardly  more  than  successful  rebels,  whose  example  was 
not  entirely  of  good  omen,  and  as  yet  manifesting  in  our  local  discord 
and  disorganization,  rather  an  incapacity  for  regulating  a  well-ordered 
State,  than  any  prospect  of  arriving  at  a  station  of  much  political 
weight.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  appearance  of  representatives 
at  courts,  to  which  none  had  before  been  sent,  was  an  event  not  merely 
to  excite  curiosity.  It  was  known  that  a  new  government,  having 
some  appearance  of  stability,  had  been  organised,  at  the  head  of  which 
had  been  placed  General  Washington  ;  and  the  first  impressions  ob- 
tained from  his  administration  were  to  be  strengthened  or  not,  accord- 
ing to  the  efficiency  of  the  agents  he  might  think  proper  to  employ 
To  Berlin,  where  no  minister  had  before  been  acknowledged,  Mr. 
Adams  repaired,  conducting  his  wife,  as  a  bride,  at  once  to  play  her 
part  in  the  higher  circles  of  social  and  political  life.  It  need  scarcely 
be  added,  that  she  proved  perfectly  competent  to  this  ;  and  that  during 
four  years,  which  comprised  the  period  of  her  stay  at  that  court,  not- 
withstanding almost  continual  ill-health,  she  succeeded  in  making 
friends  and  conciliating  a  degree  of  good  will,  the  recollection  of  which 
is,  even  at  this  distance  of  time,  believed  to  be  among  the  most  agree- 
able of  the  associations  with  her  varied  life. 

In  1801,  after  the  birth  of  her  eldest  child,  she  embarked  with  Mr. 
Adams  on  his  return  to  the  United  States.  The  revolution  which  had 
taken  place  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  country,  determined  him  to 
resume  the  practice  of  the  law  in  Boston,  to  which  place  she  came,  a 
stranger  to  the  habits  and  manners,  though  not  to  the  feelings,  of  the 
people  about  her.  Scarcely  had  sufficient  time  elapsed  to  become  at 
home,  before  she  was  called  upon  to  follow  the  wandering  fortunes  of 
the  wife  of  a  United  States'  senator.  Very  fortunately  for  her,  a  sister 
had  become  established  at  Washington,  in  whose  house  she  again  met 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  members  of  her  own  family,  and  thus  found  an  agreeable  home  for 
those  winter  months,  which  other  ladies,  similarly  situated,  are  rarely  so 
happy  as  to  enjoy.  Almost  always  accompanying  Mr.  Adams,  the  al- 
ternative of  Boston  in  summer  and  Washington  in  winter,  continued 
with  little  intermission  until  the  year  1808,  when  he  resigned  his  seat 
in  the  senate  of  the  United  States.  But  in  the  ensuing  year,  1809,  a 
new  revolution  in  her  prospects  and  another  scene  awaited  her.  Mr. 
Adams  was  appointed  by  President  Madison  the  first  accredited  minis- 
ter to  the  empire  of  Russia ;  and  as  he  was  required  to  embark  forth- 
with, she  decided  upon  going  with  him,  even  at  the  cost  of  leaving 
with  their  grand-parents  two  of  her  children,  to  pursue  their  education 
at  home,  and  taking  only  the  third  and  youngest,  then  an  infant  of 
about  two  years  old.  They  sailed  from  Boston  early  in  August,  and 
after  a  long  and  somewhat  hazardous  passage,  arrived  in  St.  Petersburg 
towards  the  close  of  October. 

Here,  again,  Mrs.  ADAMS  was  destined  to  be  the -first  lady  presented 
to  the  notice  of  the  Russian  court  as  a  representative  of  American 
female  manners  and  character,  and  here  again  she  succeeded  in  making 
a  favorable  impression.  But  there  were  circumstances  which  rendered 
her  abode  at  St.  Petersburg  much  less  agreeable  to  herself  than  it  had 
been  at  Berlin.  The  great  distance  from  America  was  not  the  only 
obstacle  to  communication.  The  extraordinary  events  which  occurred 
in  Europe  at  this  period,  rendered  the  difficulties  much  greater  than 
usual  in  obtaining  that  information  respecting  those  whom  she  had 
left  behind,  which  was  essentially  necessary  to  cheerfulness  ;  and  the 
severity  of  the  winter  climate,  together  with  the  more  formal  and  less 
friendly  character  of  Russian  society,  did  not  contribute  to  its  acqui- 
sition. Domestic  sorrow,  too,  in  the  loss  of  an  infant  daughter,  born  du- 
ring her  stay  there,  threw  its  shadow  over  the  scene.  What  universal 
anxiety  marked  the  era,  it  is  difficult  in  these  quiet  times  to  realise  ! 
For  the  civilized  world  was  in  arms  ;  and  while  at  one  moment  the 
desolating  progress  of  Napoleon  had  almost  touched  the  city  in  which 
she  was  then  dwelling,  and  from  which  its  own  sovereign,  the  Empe- 
ror Alexander,  was  meditating  a  retreat ;  at  another,  the  thunders  of 
the  British  cannon  were  resounding  from  the  walls  of  the  American 
capital,  within  which  her  friends  resided.  Here  were  lessons  of  human 
vicissitude,  in  different  quarters  of  the  globe,  which  might  well  fix  the 
mind  in  the  contemplation  of  dark  views  of  fortune,  as  well  as  the  in- 
security even  of  existence. 

In  this  connection  it  is  not  unworthy  of  remark,  that  of  all  those 
persons  sent  from  the  United  States  as  envoys  to  the  court  of  St.  Pe- 


LOUISA  CATHERINE  ADAMS. 

tersburg  since  Mr.  Adams,  whose  stay  was  of  nearly  six  years,  but  one 
(Mr.  Middleton)  has  been  content  to  remain  for  any  period  of  consi- 
derable duration.  The  reason  may  probably  be  traced  to  the  diametri- 
cal opposition  of  the  Russian  habits  to  those  of  our  own  country,  the 
harshness  of  the  climate,  and  to  the  exclusion,  for  so  many  of  the  win- 
ter months,  from  any  thing  approaching  to  social  communication  with 
home.  Hence,  high  as  this  mission  is  held  in  the  rank  of  political 
distinctions,  it  comes  in  no  very  long  time  to  be  felt  by  the  incumbent 
as  an  expulsion  from  American  society  little  short  of  an  honorable  exile. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  ADAMS  were  themselves  anxious  to  return  home  long 
before  they  did,  but  were  prevented  by  circumstances,  which  made  their 
stay  even  more  disagreeable.  The  principal  of  these  was  the  general 
war.  The  offer  made,  by  Alexander,  of  mediation  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States,  promised  at  one  moment  to  make  St.  Pe- 
tersburg the  seat  of  negotiation,  but  it  was  subsequently  transferred  to 
Ghent ;  and  thither  Mr.  Adams  was  directed  to  proceed,  to  take  his 
part  as  one  of  the  commissioners.  This  was  in  April,  1814,  and  the 
fate  of  the  attempt  at  reconciliation  appeared  so  doubtful,  and  the  state 
of  Europe  so  unsettled,  that  it  was  deemed  best  he  should  go  alone. 
Thus,  in  addition  to  all  the  causes  of  a  general  or  temporary  character, 
which  make  a  Russian  winter,  in  ordinary  cases,  something  of  a  trial, 
Mrs.  ADAMS  was  destined  to  pass  her  sixth  season  alone — separated 
from  her  husband,  and  from  all  the  other  relatives  or  friends  who  had 
accompanied  her  out,  but  who  had  one  by  one  dropped  off  to  find  their 
way  home.  This  was  not  agreeable,  but  there  was  no  alternative. 

Spring,  however,  brought  with  it  cheerful  tidings  of  the  probability 
of  peace  and  of  departure.  The  general  pacification  preceded  the  par- 
ticular treaty  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  concluded 
at  Ghent  but  a  short  time  ;  and  upon  this  Mrs.  ADAMS  received  a  pro- 
position to  proceed  at  once  by  a  land  journey  to  Paris  there  to  rejoin 
her  husband.  To  accept  it,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties  which 
might  be  in  the  way  of  execution,  was  the  work  but  of  a  moment.  For 
to  her  mind,  what  could  be  the  terror  of  a  solitary  journey  through  the 
late  theatre  of  a  furious  and  bloody  war,  the  plains  and  villages  still 
bearing  palpable  evidence  of  its  horrors,  compared  with  that  charming 
prospect  of  a  return  to  more  genial  climes,  to  the  company  of  an  af- 
fectionate husband,  and  an  approximation  towards  her  long-absent 
children. 

Those  who  have  known  Mrs.  ADAMS  in  her  later  days,  will  not  be 
likely  to  imagine  her  as  by  nature  robust,  or  by  education  bold.  And 
yet  few  women  of  the  age  have  undergone  more  extraordinary  fatigue 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

in  her  various  journeys,  or  displayed  more  energy  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  her  undertakings.  None,  however,  was  so  well  calculated  to 
test  the  strength  of  her  nerves  as  that  now  in  question.  The  pass- 
ports of  the  Russian  Government,  however  strong,  and  the  reflection 
upon  herself  of  the  diplomatic  character  of  her  husband,  however 
sacred,  would,  even  in  the  most  quiet  times,  have  scarcely  overcome, 
with  many  of  the  delicately  nurtured  female  sex,  the  apprehensions  of 
a  departure  in  a  carriage,  alone,  at  a  season  still  early  for  travelling, 
with  a  son  eight  years  of  age  to  take  care  of,  and  only  menial  servants 
of  untried,  and,  as  it  turned  out,  of  suspicious  fidelity  for  her  guard. 
In  such  circumstances,  to  be  fastened  in  a  snow-drift  with  night  com 
ing  on,  and  to  be  forced  to  rouse  the  peasants  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try to  dig  them  out,  which  happened  in  Courland,  was  no  slight  mat 
ter.  But  it  was  of  little  significance  compared  to  the  complicated 
anxieties  incident  to  the  listening,  at  every  stopping  place,  to  the  tales 
of  robbery  and  murder  just  committed  on  the  proposed  route,  so  perpe- 
tually repeated  at  that  time  to  the  traveller  ;  and  to  the  warnings  given 
by  apparently  friendly  persons  of  the  character  of  her  own  servants, 
corroborated  by  the  loss  of  several  articles  of  value  ;  and,  most  of  all, 
to  the  observation  of  the  restless  contention  between  jarring  political 
passions,  under  which  the  whole  continent  of  Europe  was  heaving  until 
it  burst  forth  at  the  return  of  Napoleon  from  Elba.  Hardly  a  day 
passed  that  did  not  require  of  Mrs.  ADAMS  some  presence  of  mind  to 
avoid  becoming  implicated  in  the  consequences  of  party  fury.  For 
even  the  slight  symbol  of  a  Polish  cap  on  the  head  of  her  servant  came 
near  making  food  for  popular  quarrel.  Such  was  the  sensibility  of 
the  public  mind  at  the  time. 

A  less  determined  woman,  upon  hearing  of  the  condition  into  which 
France  was  thrown  by  Napoleon's  return,  would  have  stopped  short  at 
some  intermediate  point,  without  venturing  to  complete  her  undertak- 
ing. Not  so  with  Mrs.  ADAMS.  She  dismissed  her  servants,  both  of 
whom  professed  to  be  themselves  afraid  of  going  further,  procured 
others,  and  went  on.  But  she  had  not  gone  very  far  before  she  un- 
luckily found  herself  entangled  with  a  considerable  detachment  of  the 
wild  soldiery,  elated  to  excess  by  the  arrival  of  their  great  chief,  and 
then  on  its  way  to  Paris  to  prepare,  under  his  inspection,  for  that  last 
scene  of  slaughter,  the  field  of  Waterloo.  This  was  a  very  awkward 
position,  as  the  troops  seemed  disposed  to  require  from  all  around 
them  the  most  unequivocal  declaration  of  political  faith.  Mrs.  ADAMS 
at  once  appealed  to  the  commander  of  the  detachment,  and  by  his  advice 
she  was  enabled  to  fall  back,  although  not  without  the  exercise  of  con- 


LOUISA  CATHERINE  ADAMS. 

siderable  prudence,  until  the  last  of  the  men  had  passed,  when  she 
diverged  into  another  road,  and  by  making  a  considerable  circuit, 
avoided  any  further  meeting.  Having  proved  in  this  manner  that 
calmness  and  presence  of  mind  render  many  things  perfectly  practica 
ble  which  imagination  at  first  invests  with  insuperable  difficulties,  she 
arrived  in  Paris  safe  and  well,  there  to  be  greeted  by  her  husband,  on 
the  evening  of  the  21st  of  March,  1815,  immediately  after  that  of  the 
memorable  arrival  of  Napoleon  and  the  flight  of  the  Bourbons. 

The  beginning  of  the  celebrated  hundred  days  !  What  an  exciting 
moment  to  reach  the  French  capital !  crowded  as  it  was  with  troops, 
collecting  for  the  impending  trial  at  arms,  and  its  streets  alive  with 
that  enthusiasm  which,  in  its  highest  degree,  it  appears  to  be  only  within 
the  scope  of  military  heroism  to  excite.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
feeling  elsewhere  than  in  Paris,  there  could  not  be  a  shadow  of  doubt 
in  the  mind  of  any  spectator,  that  in  the  affections  of  the  populace  of 
Paris,  as  well  as  of  the  army,  Napoleon  was  an  idol.  While,  on  the  one 
hand,  his  appearance  but  for  a  few  instants  upon  one  of  the  balconies  of 
the  palace  of  the  Tuilleries,  was  a  signal  for  acclamation  from  the 
thousands  who  frequented  its  gardens  to  gain  a  glimpse  of  him  ;  on  the 
other,  curses  loud  and  deep,  not  unmingled  with  ridicule  and  con 
tempt,  were  every  where  to  be  heard  uttered  against  Louis  and  the 
allies.  Here  was  room  for  observation  to  last  a  lifetime  !  Here  was 
room  for  testing  even  the  contrasts  of  this  world  ;  for  at  one  and  the 
same  moment  the  splendid  reviews  of  a  cavalry  force  rarely  surpassed, 
were  filling  the  square  of  the  Place  Carousel  with  its  loudest  and  most 
spirit-stirring  notes,  and  the  yet  unremoved  collections  of  what  the  ge- 
nius of  centuries  had  hallowed,  were  spreading  around  them  in  the  halls 
of  the  Louvre  a  sense  of  the  solemn  stillness  and  repose  of  the  highest 
walk  of  art.  Mrs.  ADAMS  was  capable  of  appreciating  the  advantages 
thus  thrown  in  her  way  ;  and  to  her,  whose  European  life  had  carried 
her  very  little  to  the  great  French  metropolis,  this  opportunity  of  seeing 
it  at  such  a  period,  well  rewarded  her  effort  to  reach  it,  and  was  ever 
considered  among  the  most  fortunate  events  in  her  existence. 

But,  however  interesting  Paris  might  be,  there  were  ties  in  Great 
Britain  to  Mrs.  ADAMS,  where  her  husband's  new  duty  as  the  Minister 
from  the  United  States  called  him,  which  made  her  leave  France  with 
little  regret.  These  ties  were  her  children,  who  had  come  out  from 
America  to  join  her,  and  whose  arrival  afforded  her  a  joy,  for  the  ab- 
sence of  which  no  brilliant  scenes  could  compensate.  In  itself,  a  resi- 
dence in  England  so  immediately  after  a  war  between  the  two  coun- 
tries, which  had  terminated  not  quite  to  the  satisfaction  of  her  pride, 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

was  not  calculated  to  be  productive  of  much  pleasure ;  yet  it  may 
fairly  be  questioned  whether,  in  the  bosom  of  her  reunited  family,  and 
in  the  sweet  but  modest  country-seat  in  the  vicinity  of  London  selected 
for  their  habitation,  Mrs.  ADAMS  did  not  draw  as  much  enjoyment 
from  her  domestic  feelings,  as  she  ever  did  from  witnessing  any  of  the 
more  busy  and  exciting  scenes  in  which  she  has  been  called  to  parti- 
cipate. 

Two  years  thus  elapsed,  when  the  election  of  Mr.  Monroe  to  the 
Presidency  became  the  precursor  of  another  change.  One  of  his  first 
official  acts  was  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Adams  to  the  responsible  sta- 
tion of  Secretary  of  State  in  his  administration,  and  this,  of  course,  re- 
quired his  immediate  return  to  the  United  States.  Upon  receiving  the 
intelligence,  he  took  passage  with  his  family  in  a  vessel  bound  from 
London  to  New- York,  where  he  arrived  on  the  6th  of  August,  1817, 
after  just  eight  years  of  absence  from  his  native  country.  Mrs.  ADAMS 
thus  took  leave  of  Europe,  after  having  passed  in  it  the  greater  portion 
of  her  life,  and  that  during  a  period,  perhaps,  as  remarkable  for  a 
crowded  succession  of  astonishing  events  as  any  in  the  history  of  man. 
To  have  lived  in  such  times,  so  distinguished  for  the  presence  of  all 
that  exalts,  adorns,  or  merely  gives  lustre  to  human  action,  was  some- 
thing of  a  privilege  ;  but  to  have  moved  in  scenes  so  various  and  so 
distant  from  each  other,  among  the  principal  agents  in  all  the  great 
events  at  different  points,  was  the  lot  among  American  ladies  of  scarcely 
any,  excepting  Mrs.  ADAMS.  Nevertheless  she  returned  to  our  repub- 
lican circles  unwedded  to  the  habits  of  a  court,  her  mind  unawed  by 
the  splendor  either  of  civil  or  military  monarchy. 

The  performance  of  the  duties  of  the  State  department  necessarily 
required  a  residence  at  Washington,  and  the  manner  in  which  Mr. 
Adams  thought  proper  to  devote  himself  to  them,  devolved  upon  his 
lady  the  entire  task  of  making  his  house  an  agreeable  resort  to  the 
multitudes  of  visitors  who  crowd  to  the  capital  on  errands  of  business, 
or  curiosity,  or  pleasure,  from  the  various  sections  of  the  United  States, 
during  the  winter  season.  A  large  diplomatic  corps  from  foreign 
countries,  who  feel  themselves  in  more  immediate  relations  with  the 
Secretary  of  State,  and  a  distinguished  set  of  public  men,  not  then  di- 
vided by  party  lines  in  the  manner  which  usually  prevails,  rendered  the 
society  of  that  time,  and  Mrs.  Adams's  house,  where  it  most  often  con- 
centrated, among  the  most  agreeable  recorded  in  our  annals.  Much  as  it 
has  been  ridiculed  since,  the  "  era  of  good  feelings  "  had  some  charac- 
teristics peculiar  to  itself.  For  an  instant,  sectional  animosities  relented, 
the  tone  of  personal  denunciation  and  angry  crimination,  too  gene- 


LOUISA  CATHERINE  ADAMS. 

rally  prevailing  in  extremes,  yielded ;  and  even  where  the  jealous  rival- 
ry for  political  honors  still  predominated  in  the  hearts  of  men,  the  easy 
polish  of  general  society  removed  from  casual  spectators  any  sense  of 
its  roughness,  or  inconvenience  from  its  impetuosity.  Washington  may 
have  presented  more  brilliant  spectacles  since,  but  the  rancor  of  party 
spirit  has  ever  mingled  its  baleful  force  too  strongly,  not  to  be  percepti- 
ble in  the  personal  relations  which  have  existed  between  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  our  political  men. 

During  the  eight  years  in  which  Mrs.  ADAMS  presided  in  the  house 
of  the  Secretary  of  State,  no  exclusions  were  made  in  her  invitations, 
merely  on  account  of  any  real  or  imagined  political  hostility ;  nor, 
though  keenly  alive  to  the  reputation  of  her  husband,  was  any  dispo- 
sition manifested  to  do  more  than  to  amuse  and  enliven  society.  In 
this,  the  success  was  admitted  to  be  complete,  as  all  will  remember  who 
were  then  in  the  habit  of  frequenting  her  dwelling.  But  in  proportion 
as  the  great  contest  for  the  Presidency,  in  which  Mr.  Adams  was  in- 
volved, approached,  the  violence  of  partisan  warfare  began  to  manifest 
its  usual  bad  effects,  and  Mrs.  ADAMS  became  inclined  to  adopt  habits 
of  greater  seclusion.  When,  at  last,  the  result  had  placed  her  in  the 
President's  mansion,  her  health  began  to  fail  her  so  much,  that  though 
she  continued  to  preside  upon  occasions  of  public  reception,  she  ceased 
to  appear  at  any  other  times,  and  she  began  to  seek  the  retirement, 
which  ever  since  her  return  to  private  life  she  has  preferred.  Mr. 
Adams  has  been,  it  is  true,  and  still  continues,  a  representative  in  Con- 
gress from  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  and  this  renders  necessary  an 
annual  migration  from  that  State  to  Washington,  and  back  again,  as 
well  as  a  winter  residence  within  the  sound  of  the  gaieties  of  that  place ; 
but  while  her  age  and  health  dispense  her  from  the  necessities  of  at- 
tending them,  severe  domestic  afflictions  have  contributed  to  remove 
the  disposition.  Thus  the  attractions  of  great  European  capitals,  and 
the  dissipation  consequent  upon  high  official  station  at  home,  though 
continued  through  that  part  of  life  when  habits  become  most  fixed, 
have  done  nothing  to  change  the  natural  elegance  of  her  manners  nor 
the  simplicity  of  her  tastes.  In  the  society  of  a  few  friends  and  near 
relatives,  and  in  the  cultivation  of  the  religious  affections  without  dis- 
play, she  draws  all  the  consolation  that  can  in  this  world  be  afforded 
for  her  privations.  To  the  world  Mrs.  ADAMS  presents  a  fine  exam- 
ple of  the  possibility  of  retiring  from  the  circles  of  fashion,  and  the  ex- 
ternal fascinations  of  life,  in  time  still  to  retain  a  taste  for  the  more 
quiet,  though  less  showy  attractions  of  the  domestic  fireside.  A  strong 
literary  taste,  which  has  led  her  to  read  much,  and  a  capacity  for  com- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

position  in  prose  and  verse,  have  been  resources  for  her  leisure  moments, 
not  with  a  view  to  that  exhibition  which  renders  such  accomplish- 
ments too  often  fatal  to  the  more  delicate  shades  of  feminine  character, 
but  for  her  own  gratification,  and  that  of  a  few  relations  and  friends. 
The  late  President  Adams  used  to  draw  much  amusement  in  his  latest 
years  at  Quincy,  from  the  accurate  delineation  of  Washington  man- 
ners and  character,  which  was  regularly  transmitted,  for  a  considerable 
period,  in  letters  from  her  pen.  And  if,  as  time  advances,  she  becomes 
gradually  less  able  to  devote  her  sense  of  sight  to  reading  and  writing, 
her  practice  of  the  more  homely  female  virtues  of  manual  industry,  so 
highly  commended  in  the  final  chapter  of  the  book  of  Solomon,  still 
amuses  the  declining  days  of  her  varied  career. 


HENRY   LAURENS. 

HENRY  LAURENS  was  born  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  the  year 
1724.  His  ancestors  were  French  protestants,  who  sought  in  the 
American  wilderness  a  refuge  from  persecution,  shortly  after  the  revo- 
cation of  the  edict  of  Nantes.  We  have  already  traced  the  genealogy 
of  several  of  our  Revolutionary  patriots  to  the  same  period. 

After  receiving  the  best  education  which  the  most  competent 
teachers  in  Carolina  could  impart,  HENRY  LAURENS  was  put  under 
the  care  of  Thomas  Smith,  a  merchant  of  Charleston,  and  afterwards 
of  Mr.  Crockatt  of  London,  and  acquired  those  habits  of  order  and 
method  in  business  for  which  he  was  remarkable.  On  his  return  to 
Charleston  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Austin,  a  merchant 
already  engaged  in  an  extensive  trade.  He  devoted  himself  to  busi- 
ness with  a  zeal  and  industry  which  far  surpassed  his  contemporaries ; 
and  he  established  a  character  for  himself  worthy  the  emulation  of  all 
young  merchants.  He  was  scrupulously  punctual  in  the  discharge  of 
all  pecuniary  engagements,  and  in  being  where,  and  doing  what,  he 
had  promised.  He  was  an  early  riser,  and  frequently  had  the  business 
of  the  day  arranged  when  others  were  beginning  to  think  of  leaving 
their  beds.  His  letters  were  generally  written  in  the  retired  hours  of 
the  night  or  morning ;  and  whether  on  subjects  of  business,  friendship, 
or  amusement,  were  considered  models  of  forcible  expression  and 
perspicuity  of  language. 

He  studied  human  nature  in  all  the  various  specimens  which  it  was 
his  interest  to  know  thoroughly,  with  the  earnestness  of  Lavater  ;  and 
his  judgment  enabled  him  very  soon  to  ascertain  the  true  value  of 
every  man  with  whom  he  had  to  transact  business.  His  diligence, 
prudence,  and  knowledge  of  men  and  business,  could  not  fail  of  suc- 
cess ;  and  in  winding  up  the  concerns  of  the  partnership,  in  1770, 
twenty- three  years  after  its  commencement,  and  which  had  embraced 
transactions  to  the  amount  of  many  millions,  such  was  their  confidence 
in  the  safety  of  their  business,  that  he  offered  to  his  partner  to  take  all 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

outstanding  debts  as  cash  at  a  discount  of  only  five  per  cent,  on  the 
aggregate  amount. 

One  of  the  strong  traits  of  his  character,  was  his  love  of  justice. 
He  would  never  draw  a  bill  of  exchange  until  he  had  a  written  ac- 
knowledgment of  indebtedness  to  the  amount  drawn  for.  He  once  had 
a  lawsuit  with  the  Vice- Admiralty  Judge,  in  which  he  resisted  the 
claims  of  the  royal  government,  which  by  some  recent  regulations 
were  hostile  to  American  rights.  Mr.  LAURENS  being  cast,  he  ten- 
dered to  the  Judge  his  legal  fees  to  a  considerable  sum.  The  Judge 
declined  receiving  them,  and  Mr.  LAURENS  conceiving  he  had  no 
right  to  retain  what  was  legally  due  from  him,  gave  the  amount  to  the 
South  Carolina  Society,  to  be  expended  in  charity.  He  pursued  the 
same  course  on  other  occasions,  when  money  was  left  unclaimed  in 
his  hands,  which  he  was  unwilling  to  keep. 

He  once  persuaded  a  favorite  slave  to  receive  the  small  pox  by  in- 
oculation, which  terminated  fatally.  To  comfort  the  dying  man  for 
the  unfortunate  issue  of  the  experiment,  assurances  were  given  to  him 
that  his  children  should  be  emancipated  •  which  was  accordingly 
done. 

Having  amassed  a  fortune  far  exceeding  wnat  was  men  common  in 
America,  and  being  a  widower,  he  went  to  Europe  in  1771,  to  superin- 
tend the  education  of  his  sons.  During  his  residence  in  England,  the 
disputes  between  the  Colonies  and  the  parent  state  continued  to  approach 
the  point  where  an  amicable  adjustment  was  hopeless.  Mr.  LAURENS 
saw  the  approaching  crisis,  and  endeavored  to  arrest  it.  True  to  his 
country,  and  fully  assured  of  the  firm  determinations  of  his  country- 
men to  resist  oppression,  he  was  anxious  to  avert  the  stroke  which  he 
foresaw  would  rouse  them  to  arms  in  self-defence.  He  united  with 
thirty-eight  other  Americans  in  a  petition  to  the  British  Parliament 
against  the  passage  of  the  bill  to  shut  up  the  port  of  Boston,  and  so 
soon  as  he  found  the  die  was  cast  against  his  country,  he  hastened 
his  departure  to  Carolina,  determined  to  take  his  share  in  the  struggle 
for  freedom.  Great  efforts  were  made  to  induce  him  to  remain  in 
England,  but  he  would  not  listen  to  the  persuasions  of  friends  nor  the 
allurements  of  interest.  When  about  to  embark  from  Falmouth,  he 
wrote  to  Mr.  Oswald,  who  was  subsequently  one  of  the  negotiators  for 
peace,  "  Your  ministers  are  deaf  to  information,  and  seem  bent  on  pro- 
voking unnecessary  contest.  I  think  I  have  acted  the  part  of  a  faith- 
ful subject.  I  now  go  resolved  still  to  labor  for  peace  ;  at  the  same 
time  determined,  in  the  last  event,  to  stand  or  fall  with  my  country." 
To  numerous  friends  in  England  he  freely  gave  the  assurance  that 


HENRY  LAURENS. 

America  would  not  submit  to  the  claims  of  the  British  Parliament , 
and  on  his  landing  at  Charleston,  in  December  1774,  he  declared  with 
equal  confidence  that  Britain  would  not  recede,  and  that  war  was 
inevitable.  Much  reliance  was  placed  upon  his  opinion,  and  vigorous 
preparations  for  defence  were  immediately  commenced  by  the  Caroli- 
nians. 

Mr.  LAURENS  was  a  member  of  the  first  Provincial  Congress,  held 
at  Charleston  on  the  llth  of  January,  1775,  and  was  elected  president 
of  the  Council  of  Safety,  appointed  by  that  body,  with  powers  to  carry 
on  the  business  of  the  Colony  during  the  recess  of  the  Congress.  This 
committee,  or  Council  of  Safety,  were  invested  with  full  executive 
powers ;  they  stamped  money,  raised  troops,  issued  commissions  to 
officers,  authorised  an  attempt  on  the  Island  of  Providence  for  the  ac- 
quisition of  military  stores ;  sent  a  talk  to  the  Catawba  Indians  ;  and 
performed,  indeed,  all  the  functions  of  a  regular  government  with  ad- 
mirable firmness,  although  they  were  well  aware  that  their  lives  and 
fortunes  were  at  stake. 

The  well-known  activity  and  promptness  which  had  distinguished 
Mr.  LAURENS  as  a  merchant,  were  equally  valuable  in  him  as  a  states- 
man ;  and  the  public  business  was  despatched  with  vigor  and  sound 
judgment  until  the  establishment  of  a  regular  constitution  in  the  State 
of  South  Carolina,  in  March  1776.  He  was  soon  afterward  elected  a 
member  of  Congress,  of  which  he  was  appointed  president  on  the  1st  of 
November,  1777.  The  station  to  which  he  was  now  elevated  brought 
him  into  intimate  correspondence  with  Washington,  and  it  may  be  re- 
marked as  one  of  the  events  of  this  period  of  his  life,  of  equal  import- 
ance to  his  country  and  his  own  fame,  that  when  the  Commander-in- 
chief  was  assailed  by  a  malignant  faction,  which  sought,  by  false  and 
anonymous  suggestions,  to  obtain  his  removal,  Mr.  LAURENS  remained 
firm  and  steadfast  in  his  attachment  to  Washington,  and  was  the  first 
to  expose  the  artifices  of  his  opponents.  The  alliance  with  France, 
and  the  efforts  of  the  British  ministry  to  neutralize  its  effects  by  send- 
ing out  commissioners  to  treat  with  the  constituted  authorities  in 
America,  or  with  individuals,  were  also  important  events  of  the  same 
period. 

In  December,  1778,  Mr.  LAURENS  resigned  the  chair  of  Congress. 
In  the  following  year  he  was  appointed  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to 
Holland,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  commercial  treaty,  and  to  obtain 
loans.  Some  unofficial  overtures  had  been  previously  received,  and 
even  the  plan  of  a  treaty  between  the  States  general  of  Holland  and 
the  United  States  had  been  communicated  to  Congress,  which  Mr. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

LAURENS  was  authorised  to  carry  into  effect.  He  sailed  for  Europe 
in  the  summer  of  1780,  and  was  captured  on  his  passage  out  by  a 
British  frigate.  He  threw  his  papers  overboard,  but  as  they  did  not 
immediately  sink,  they  were  recovered  by  the  activity  of  a  British 
sailor,  and  disclosed  the  situation  of  affairs  between  the  two  countries, 
and  led  to  the  declaration  of  war  against  Holland  when  the  demand 
of  the  English  minister  for  speedy  satisfaction  was  not  complied  with. 

Mr.  LAURENS  was  carried  to  London,  where  he  was  examined  be- 
fore the  Privy  Council,  and  committed  a  close  prisoner  to  the  Tower 
on  the  charge  of  high  treason.  There  he  was  confined  more  than  a 
year,  and  was  treated  with  great  severity.  No  person  was  permitted 
to  speak  to  him,  nor  was  he  permitted  to  speak  to  any  one  ;  he  was 
deprived  of  the  use  of  pen  and  ink,  and  all  intercourse  by  letters  was 
strictly  prohibited.  These  strict  orders  were,  however,  relaxed  after 
a  few  weeks ;  for  the  King's  ministers  were  desirous  of  turning  his  in- 
fluence to  advantage,  and  they  dared  not  to  punish  him  capitally  for 
fear  of  retaliation. 

One  of  his  friends  in  London  applied  to  the  Secretary  of  State  for 
Mr.  LAURENS'S  liberation  on  parole,  and  offered  his  whole  fortune  as 
security  for  his  good  conduct ;  he  was  authorised  to  say  to  Mr.  LAU- 
RENS, that  "  if  he  would  point  out  any  thing  for  the  benefit  of  Great 
Britain  in  the  present  dispute  with  the  Colonies,  he  should  be  en- 
larged." This  proposition  was  indignantly  rejected.  The  same 
friend  soon  after  was  permitted  to  visit  him  with  another  proposition, 
the  amount  of  which  was,  that  he  should  remain  in  London,  as  the 
ministers  would  have  frequent  occasion  to  consult  him ;  and  that  he 
should  write  two  or  three  lines  to  them,  merely  to  say  that  he  was 
sorry  for  what  had  passed.  "  A  pardon  will  be  granted,"  said  his 
friend.  "  Every  man  has  been  wrong  at  some  time  or  other  of  his 
life,  and  should  not  be  ashamed  to  acknowledge  it."  Mr.  LAURENS 
replied,  "  I  will  never  subscribe  to  my  own  infamy,  and  to  the  dishonor 
of  my  children." 

Cut  off  from  all  social  intercourse,  he  was  only  permitted  to  learn 
the  progress  of  events  during  his  confinement  from  such  newspapers 
as  announced  the  successes  of  the  British  arms,  particularly  in  South 
Carolina,  after  the  surrender  of  Charleston ;  or  his  own  misfortune 
in  the  sequestration  of  his  estate  by  the  conquerors.  Still  he  remained 
steadfast  and  unmoved. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1781,  it  was  intimated  to  Mr.  LAURENS 
that  it  would  be  advantageous  to  him  if  he  would  write  to  his  son,  Co- 
lonel Laurens.  then  on  a  mission  to  the  Court  of  France,  and  request 


HENRY  LAURENS. 

him  to  withdraw  from  that  country.  But  he  replied,  "  My  son  is  of 
age,  and  has  a  will  of  his  own  ;  if  I  should  write  to  him  in  the  terms 
you  request,  it  would  have  no  effect,  he  would  only  conclude  that 
confinement  and  persuasion  had  softened  me.  I  know  him  to  be  a 
man  of  honor.  He  loves  me  dearly,  and  would  lay  down  his  life  to 
save  mine ;  but  I  am  sure  lie  would  not  sacrifice  his  honor  to  save  my 
life,  and  I  applaud  him." 

Mr.  LAURENS  wrote  with  a  pencil  a  request  to  the  Secretary  of 
State  for  permission  to  use  pen  and  ink,  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  a 
bill  of  exchange  on  a  merchant  in  London,  who  was  in  his  debt,  as  he 
was  in  want  of  means  for  his  immediate  support.  To  this  application 
no  answer  was  returned.  As  soon  as  he  had  completed  a  year  in  the 
Tower,  he  was  called  on  to  pay  ninety-four  pounds  ten  shillings  ster- 
ling to  the  two  warders  who  had  attended  him  ;  but  he  replied,  "  I 
will  not  pay  the  warders  whom  I  never  employed,  and  whose  atten- 
dance I  shall  be  glad  to  dispense  with."  Three  weeks  afterward,  ma- 
terials were  brought  to  him  to  write  a  bill  of  exchange,  but  they  were 
removed  the  moment  that  business  was  done. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  year  1781,  the  sufferings  which  Mr.  LAU- 
RENS had  been  compelled  to  endure  in  the  Tower  began  to  be  gene- 
rally known  ;  and  elicited  strong  expressions  of  compassion  in  his  fa- 
vor, and  censure  against  the  authors  of  his  confinement.  But  there 
were  difficulties  in  the  way  of  his  release  not  easy  to  be  overcome. 
He  would  make  no  concessions,  nor  consent  to  any  act  which  implied 
that  he  was  a  British  subject ;  as  such  he  had  been  committed,  on 
a  charge  of  high  treason,  but  he  regarded  himself  as  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States, — a  prisoner  of  war.  To  extricate  themselves  from  this 
difficulty,  Ministers  proposed  to  take  bail  for  his  appearance  at  the 
court  of  King's  Bench.  When  the  words  of  the  recognizance, 
"  Our  sovereign  lord  the  King,"  were  read  to  Mr.  LAURENS,  he  replied 
in  open  court,  "  Not  my  sovereign  ! !"  Notwithstanding  that,  he,  with 
Mr.  Oswald  and  Mr.  Anderson  as  his  securities,  was  bound  for  his  ap- 
pearance at  the  next  court  of  King's  Bench  for  Easter  term,  and  for  not 
departing  without  leave  of  the  Court,  on  which  he  was  immediately 
released.  When  the  time  drew  near  for  his  appearance  at  court,  he 
was  not  only  discharged  from  all  obligations  to  attend,  but  was  solicit- 
ed by  Lord  Shelbourne  to  assist,  by  his  presence  on  the  continent,  at 
the  negotiations  for  peace  which  were  then  in  progress.  He  proceeded 
to  Paris,  and  there  signed  the  preliminaries  of  peace  on  the  30th  of 
November,  1782,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Franklin,  John  Adams,  and 
John  Jay. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Mr.  LAURENS  soon  after  returned  to  Carolina,  with  a  constitution 
broken  by  the  rigorous  confinement  of  more  than  fourteen  months  in 
the  Tower,  and  he  never  afterwards  enjoyed  good  health.  His  coun- 
trymen rejoiced  at  his  return,  and  proffered  every  mark  of  honor  in 
their  power  to  bestow ;  but  he  declined  all  solicitations  to  suffer  them 
to  elect  him  governor,  a  member  of  congress,  or  of  the  legislature  of  the 
state.  He  was,  without  his  consent,  elected  a  member  of  the  conven- 
tion for  the  revision  of  the  federal  constitution,  but  declined  serving. 
He  retired  from  all  public  business,  and  interested  himself  only  in 
promoting  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  his  family  and  dependents, 
by  various  agricultural  experiments,  and  the  improvement  of  the  so- 
ciety of  his  friends  and  neighbors. 

His  health  gradually  declined,  and  on  the  8th  of  December,  1792, 
near  the  close  of  his  69th  year,  he  expired.  His  will  concluded  with 
the  following  remarkable  request,  which  was  literally  complied  with  : 
"  I  solemnly  enjoin  it  on  my  son,  as  an  indispensable  duty,  that  as 
soon  as  he  conveniently  can  after  my  decease,  he  cause  my  body  to  be 
wrapped  in  twelve  yards  of  tow-cloth,  and  burnt  until  it  be  entirely 
consumed,  and  then,  collecting  my  bones,  deposite  them  wherever  he 
may  think  proper." 

6 


MAJOR  GKNKKA1. 


CHARLES  COTESWORTH  PINCKNEY. 


"  For  these  are  the  men,  that  when  they  have  played  their  parts  and  had  their  exits,  must 
step  out,  and  give  the  moral  of  their  scenes :  and  deliver  unto  posterity  an  inventory  of  their 
virtues  and  vices."  SIR  THOMAS  BROWNE. 


GENERAL  CHARLES  COTESWORTH  PINCKNEY  was  one  of  that  race, 
or  order  of  men,  who  are  now  nearly,  if  not  quite,  extinct  in  South 
Carolina.  He  lived  at  that  fortunate  period  when  a  classical  and 
highly-finished  education  was  deemed  indispensable,  not  only  for  him 
who  had  his  own  fortune  to  build  up,  but  also  for  him  who  had  a 
fortune  to  spend.  The  direct  trade  between  the  Mother  country  and 
the  Province,  created  by  the  valuable  staple  products  of  Rice  and 
Indigo,  put  it  in  the  power  of  the  planters  of  South  Carolina  to  send 
their  sons  to  England  with  remarkable  facility.  In  proportion,  there- 
fore, to  population  and  extent  of  territory,  the  number  of  her  young 
men  educated  in  the  English  universities  far  exceeded  that  of  any 
other  of  the  Colonies.  Thus,  at  the  very  commencement  of  our  dis- 
putes with  the  Mother  country  she  possessed  a  band  of  learned, 
intelligent,  and  accomplished  gentlemen,  fit  either  for  the  council  or 
the  field ;  and  whose  knowledge  of  the  true  principles  of  constitu- 
tional liberty  gave  that  high  tone  to  public  sentiment,  which  mainly 
contributed  to  bear  the  people  triumphant  through  that  terrible  period, 
which  was  truly  and  emphatically  said  to  have  "  tried  men's  souls." 
Among  those  patriotic  men,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  stood  in  the 
very  first  rank  ;  and  we  shall  now  attempt  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  his 
life,  which  was  long,  useful,  and  honorable  to  his  country. 

The  ancestor  of  General  PINCKNEY  came  over  to  South  Caro- 
lina in  the  year  1692.  From  him  descended  CHARLES,  commonly 
known  by  the  name  of  Chief  Justice  Pinckney,  a  man  of  great 
integrity,  and  of  considerable  eminence  under  the  Provincial  govern- 
ment. The  Chief  Justice  was  twice  married.  His  second  wife  was 
Eliza  Lucas,  daughter  of  George  Lucas,  a  Colonel  in  the  British 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

army  and  Governor  of  Antigua  ;  and  on  the  25th  day  of  February, 
1746,  she  gave  birth  to  General  PINCKNEY  at  Charleston.  In  the  year 
1753,  being  then  seven  years  old,  he  was  taken  over  to  England  by 
his  father,  with  his  brother,  the  late  Major-general  Thomas  Pinclmey. 
The  Chief  Justice  was  one  of  those  sensible  men  who  valued  educa- 
tion and  moral  discipline  as  far  beyond  the  mere  advantages  of 
wealth,  and  he  resolved,  even  though  it  might  impair  the  patrimony 
of  his  sons,  to  buy  it  for  them  at  the  highest  cost.  Accordingly,  in 
his  will  he  enjoins  that  they  shall  be  thoroughly  educated  before  re- 
turning to  America  ;  and  that  in  case  the  income  of  his  estate  proved 
inadequate,  a  portion  of  the  estate  itself  must  be  sold  to  accomplish 
this  great  object  of  his  parental  solicitude. 

After  five  years  of  private  tuition,  General  PINCKNEY  was  consi- 
dered as  well  fitted  for  Westminster,  and  in  1758  he  was  placed  by  his 
father  at  that  celebrated  school,  then  under  the  care  of  a  very  distin- 
guished scholar,  Doctor  Markham,  who  was  afterwards  advanced  to 
the  See  of  York.  There  his  industry  and  good  conduct  won  the  es- 
teem of  the  master  ;  while  he  there,  too,  imbibed  that  classical  taste 
and  love  of  study,  which,  during  an  unusually  long  and  eventful  life, 
constituted  both  its  ornament  and  its  solace.  That  he  stood  high  in 
the  estimation  of  the  master,  may  be  inferred  from  the  following  fact. 
An  occurrence  in  the  school  having,  on  investigation,  produced  much 
contradictory  evidence,  Doctor  Markham.  addressing  young  PINCK- 
NEY, said,  "  I  know  the  strictness  of  your  principles  and  your  at- 
tachment to  truth  :  speak,  PINCKNEY  !  my  decision  shall  be  guided 
by  your  sentiment."  From  Westminster  he  was  removed,  in  due 
course,  to  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  where  he  had  the  acute  Doctor 
Cyril  Jackson  as  his  private  tutor.  Judge  Blackstone  was  then  the 
Law  lecturer ;  and  as  the  best  evidence  of  General  PINCKNEY'S  at- 
tention and  assiduity  to  that  branch  of  his  studies,  he  has  left  behind 
him  four  large  volumes  of  manuscript,  containing  those  celebrated 
lectures,  which,  with  a  diligence  extraordinary  in  so  young  a  man,  he 
had  written  down  at  the  time.  With  so  much  application  and  perse- 
verance, knowledge  could  not  be  wooed  in  vain  ;  and  he  consequently 
left  Oxford  with  the  reputation  of  being  a  fine  scholar  at  the  early 
age  of  eighteen.  From  that  ancient  university  he  entered  as  a  law 
student  at  the  Temple,  where,  having  done  something  more  than  eat 
the  usual  number  of  dinners,  he  returned  to  South  Carolina  in  1769, 
having,  during  the  last  year,  visited  France  and  Germany,  and  devot- 
ing nine  months  to  military  studies  at  the  Royal  Academy  of  Caen 
in  Normandy. 


CHARLES  C.  PINCKNEY. 

Sixteen  years  of  absence  had  not  impaired,  or  in  the  slightest 
degree  weakened,  his  affection  for  his  native  soil.  While  in  Eng- 
land he  had  keenly  participated  in  the  indignation  felt  at  the  passage  of 
the  Stamp  Act ;  and  a  portrait  taken  of  him  at  that  time  for  his  friend 
Sir  Matthew  Ridley,  represents  him  in  the  act  of  arguing  vehemently 
against  that  arbitrary  measure.  It  has  been  declared  by  his  contem- 
poraries, that  on  his  return  from  England  he  appeared  before  them 
at  once  as  a  remarkable  young  man.  His  elegant  literary  attain- 
ment— his  sound  legal  knowledge — his  high  sense  of  all  that  was 
held  honorable  in  the  eyes  of  men,  united  to  the  most  distinguished 
manners,  impressed  on  those  who  knew  him  the  certainty  of  his  future 
success  and  elevation. 

His  commission  to  practise  in  the  Provincial  Courts  is  dated 
January  19th,  1770,  and  he  very  soon  began  to  acquire  business  and 
reputation.  It  is  worthy  of  notice,  as  showing  the  estimation  in  which 
he  was  held  by  his  legal  brethren,  that  he  was  appointed  by  Sir 
Egerton  Lee,  (his  Majesty's  Attorney  General  of  the  Province,)  under 
a  full  and  formal  commission,  to  act  as  his  substitute  on  Circuit  in  the 
District  and  Precinct  courts  of  Camden,  Georgetown,  and  Cheraws. 
This  was  in  1773,  when  General  PINCKNEY  was  still  a  young  man : 
and  when  we  consider  the  high  estimate  of  their  profession  by  the 
English  lawyers  of  that  day,  most  of  them  being  not  only  men  of 
learning  and  accomplishments,  but  likewise  of  high  birth  and  descent, 
this  appointment  may  be  taken  as  evidence  of  extraordinary  merit. 
His  professional  pursuits,  with  all  its  emoluments  and  the  expectation 
of  its  high  reward,  was,  however,  doomed  to  a  sudden  blight.  The 
gathering  storm  of  the  Revolutionary  war  burst  on  the  plains  of 
Lexington.  It  struck  on  the  ear  of  the  patriots  of  South  Carolina,  and 
they  at  once  resolved  to  prepare  for  that  bloody  and  unnatural  con- 
flict with  England,  which  was  now  seen  to  be  inevitable. 

Accordingly  a  meeting  of  the  Provincial  Congress  was  summoned 
by  the  Committee  of  Safety  to  be  held  in  the  city  of  Charleston.  It 
assembled  on  the  first  day  of  June,  1 775,  and  it  was  almost  instantly 
decided  to  raise  two  regiments  of  infantry,  of  five  hundred  men  each. 
The  military  ardor  at  this  moment  was  so  great,  that  the  first  fami- 
lies of  the  Province  eagerly  contended  for  appointments,  and  the  num- 
ber of  cadidates  far  exceeded  the  demand.  In  the  midst  of  this  band 
of  gallant  spirits,  the  abilities  of  General  PINCKNEY  were  seen  and 
acknowledged,  and  he  was  elected  captain  in  the  first  regiment,  ap- 
pearing highest  on  the  list.  His  Colonel  was  that  firm  republican, 
old  Christopher  Gadsden.  He  immediately  proceeded  on  the  re- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

eruiting  service,  and  fixed  his  quarters  at  Newbern  in  North  Caro- 
lina. Whilst  there,  he  proved  his  discernment  and  intrepidity  of 
purpose,  by  advising  the  arrest  of  two  suspicious  persons,  who  came 
under  the  assumed  garb  of  settlers.  Their  personal  appearance  and 
easy  address  convinced  him  that  they  were  not  what  they  would 
seem  to  be.  He  waited  on  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  and  hav- 
ing declared  his  reasons  for  believing  that  the  strangers  were  hostile 
to  the  interests  of  the  country,  recommended  their  instant  arrest. 
Unfortunately,  the  members  of  the  Committee  were  timid,  and  refused 
to  follow  his  advice.  The  event  proved  the  soundness  of  his  judg- 
ment. The  strangers  left  Newbern  for  Cross  Creek,  and  almost  im- 
mediately excited  the  Scotch  settlers,  their  countrymen,  to  arm  in  sup- 
port of  the  Royal  Government.  General  Moore  was  sent  against 
them,  and  they  were  defeated.  The  younger  of  the  strangers  escaped ; 
his  name  was  McDonald.  The  other,  who  proved  to  be  a  veteran 
officer,  of  the  name  of  McLeod,  was  killed.  Having  completed 
the  recruiting  service,  he  joined  his  regiment  in  Charleston,  which 
was  soon  after  placed  on  the  Continental  establishment  by  a  resolu- 
tion of  Congress.  In  a  short  time  General  PINCKNEY  obtained  the 
command  of  the  first  regiment — its  Colonel,  Christopher  Gadsden,  be 
ing  made  a  Brigadier,  and  its  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Major  having 
been  transferred  to  the  command  of  other  regiments. 

The  glorious  defence  of  Fort  Moultrie,  and  the  signal  defeat  of  the 
British  fleet  in  its  attack  on  that  post,  gave  a  calm,  and  long  respite  to 
the  people  of  South  Carolina  from  the  horrors  of  war.  The  power 
of  England  then  bore  heavily  on  the  States  of  New- York  and  Penn- 
sylvania. Burning  with  ardor  to  distinguish  himself  in  the  field, 
General  PINCKNEY  hastened  to  join  the  Northern  army.  He  was 
cordially  received  by  General  Washington,  who  appointed  him  an 
aid-de-camp  ;  and  in  this  capacity  he  was  present  at  the  battle  of 
Brandy  wine,  and  the  bloody  affair  at  Germantown.  The  impression 
then  made  by  him  on  the  mind  of  the  Commander-in-chief  was  of 
the  most  durable  kind.  It  was  exhibited  throughout  many  years  of 
friendship  and  of  confidence,  and  on  many  interesting  occasions,  and 
only  ceased  with  life  itself.  To  one  of  his  quick  and  energetic  spirit, 
the  opportunity  which  he  now  possessed  of  increasing  his  military 
knowledge,  both  as  to  science  and  discipline,  it  is  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose was  not  allowed  to  escape  unimproved. 

On  the  first  intimation  of  danger  to  the  South,  General  PINCKNEY 
returned  to  take  the  command  of  his  regiment.  The  State  of  Geor- 
gia about  this  period  was  greatly  harassed  by  Tories,  and  repeated 


CHARLES  C.  PINCKNEY. 

inroads  of  vagabonds  from  Florida.  It  was  indispensable  to  make  an 
effort  to  save  her  from  total  ruin.  Major-general  Howe,  of  North 
Carolina,  who  commanded  the  Southern  Division,  required  the  aid  of 
the  South  Carolina  forces,  and  General  PINCKNEY  was  ordered  on  to 
join  Howe  in  Georgia.  This  service  was  short,  but  severe.  The 
army  had  to  move  about,  and  drive  the  enemy  at  a  season  of  the  year 
when  exposure  to  the  climate  was  sure  to  produce  sickness,  if  not 
death.  The  soldiers  were  wretchedly  provided,  not  only  as  to  camp 
equipage,  but  even  as  to  food.  In  a  letter  written  at  Fort  Howe  on 
the  Altamaha,  addressed  to  General  Moultrie  at  Charleston,  General 
PINCKNEY  describes  the  sufferings  of  the  men  as  almost  intolerable. 
Ten  and  twelve  were  crowded  into  one  small  tent,  and  many  were 
left  uncovered,  to  sleep  under  the  heavy  and  deadly  dews  of  the  Geor- 
gia skies.  The  Continental  troops,  which,  at  the  beginning,  counted 
eleven  hundred  strong,  were  in  the  course  of  two  months  reduced  to 
only  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  fit  for  duty.  About  midsummer 
General  PINCKNEY  got  back  to  Charleston,  after  three  months  of 
the  hardest  service,  rendered  more  acute  by  the  reflection,  that 
disease,  and  not  the  weapons  of  their  enemies,  had  destroyed  his 
soldiers.  The  sudden  dash  of  Provost  at  Charleston,  the  subsequent 
invasion  of  Georgia,  and  the  assault  on  the  lines  of  Savannah,  all 
contributed  to  bring  out  into  bold  relief  General  PINCKNEY'S  fine 
qualities  as  a  soldier.  In  the  language  of  a  brother  officer,  "  his  pa- 
tient submission  to  the  severities  of  service,  his  determined  resolution 
and  calm  intrepidity,  gave  decided  increase  to  his  military  reputation." 
The  campaigns  of  1778  and  79,  in  the  North,  having  reflected  but 
little  lustre  on  the  British  arms,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  consoled  himself 
with  the  idea  of  making  easy  and  brilliant  conquests  in  the  Southern 
and  weaker  States.  Accordingly  he  prepared  and  fitted  out  a  very 
powerful  land  and  naval  force  for  the  capture  of  Charleston.  The 
Royal  army,  in  great  strength,  on  the  llth  of  February,  1780,  landed 
about  thirty  miles  from  the  city.  So  feeble  was  the  garrison  at  that 
moment,  that,  had  the  British  army  pushed  on  immediately  to  the  city, 
it  must  have  fallen  almost  without  a  blow ;  but  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
preferred  the  slow  method  of  a  siege.  The  six  Continental  regiments 
in  the  Carolina  establishment  were  at  this  time  reduced  to  eight  hun- 
dred men.  The  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  Continentals,  about  fif- 
teen hundred  strong,  were  ordered  on  by  Congress  :  but  of  this  number 
not  more  than  seven  hundred  entered  the  city.  Nevertheless,  with 
this  feeble  garrison,  and  besieged  both  by  land  and  water,  it  was 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

unanimously  determined,  in  a  full  house  of  assembly,  to  defend  the 
town  to  the  last  extremity. 

General  PINCKNEY  at  this  critical  period,  with  three  hundred  men, 
was  stationed  in  command  at  Fort  Moultrie.  It  was  a  post  of  honor, 
and  his  heart  must  have  throbbed  with  exultation  as  he  thought  of 
Moultrie's  victory  in  June,  '76  ;  and  that  now  fortune  had  brought  him 
his  turn,  either  to  show  the  flag  of  his  country  waving  in  triumph, 
or  to  make  it  his  winding-sheet.  But  his  eager  anticipations  were 
disappointed.  The  British  admiral  Arbuthnot,  taking  advantage  of 
a  strong  southerly  wind  and  flood  tide,  swept  rapidly  by  Fort  Moultrie 
without  stopping  to  engage  it. 

General  PINCKNEY,  however,  opened  a  heavy  and  brisk  fire  on  the 
ships  as  they  passed  under  full  sail,  by  which  they  received  consider- 
able damage,  and  twenty  seamen  were  killed  and  wounded.  Deter- 
mined to  share  the  fate  of  Charleston,  he  soon  afterwards  withdrew 
with  a  part  of  his  garrison,  and  entered  the  city.  A  council  of  war 
was  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  deliberating  on  a  capitulation, 
and  it  was  then  that  General  PINCKNEY  displayed  that  boldness  and 
decision  of  mind  which  belongs  only  to  a  man  of  great  character. 
Rising  with  great  composure  and  dignity  of  manner,  he  exclaimed, 
"  I  will  not  say,  if  the  enemy  attempt  to  carry  our  lines  by  storm,  that 
we  shall  be  able  to  resist  them  successfully :  but  am  convinced  we 
shall  so  cripple  the  army  before  us,  that  although  we  may  not  live  to 
enjoy  the  benefits  ourselves,  yet  to  the  United  States  they  will  prove 
incalculably  great.  Considerations  of  self  are  out  of  the  question. 
They  cannot  influence  any  member  of  this  council.  My  voice  is  for 
rejecting  all  terms  of  capitulation,  and  for  continuing  hostilities  to  the 
last  extremity."  This  magnanimous  proposition,  although  supported 
by  Lieut.  Colonel  Laurens,  was  not  adopted. 

Charleston  finally  capitulated  in  May  1780,  after  a  close  investiture 
both  by  land  and  water  of  three  months.  General  PINCKNEY  was 
then  removed  to  Haddrel's  Point,  about  two  miles  from  the  city,  with 
a  large  number  of  other  prisoners.  At  this  post  they  bore  incredible 
privations.  Without  clothing,  credit,  or  money,  their  sufferings  be- 
came so  extreme,  that  the  Continental  officers  of  the  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia  lines  appointed  General  PINCKNEY  to  draw  a  memorial 
to  Congress  describing  their  condition.  It  is  stated  in  this  paper,  that 
during  their  long  captivity  they  had  never  received  more  than  nine 
days'  pay  from  their  country. 

The  well-known  influence  of  General  PINCKNEY — his  abilities — 
his  zeal  in  the  cause  of  liberty,  and  the  boldness  displayed  in  main- 


CHARLES  C.  PINCKNEY. 

taining  his  principles,  made  him  in  a  peculiar  degree  the  object  of 
British  severity.  After  enduring  an  obstinate  intermittent  fever  for 
several  months,  he  was  at  last  allowed  by  the  Commandant  of  Charles- 
ton, to  come  over  to  the  city,  on  the  declaration  of  the  British  physi- 
cian, Doctor  McNamara  Hayes,  that  it  was  indispensable  for  the 
restoration  of  his  health.  Yet,  four  days  after  the  permission  had 
been  granted,  the  same  officer  suddenly  ordered  him  to  return  to 
Haddrel's  Point,  although  his  only  son  was  at  that  instant  lying  dead 
in  the  house  ;  and  he  was  forced  to  compliance. 

Nothing,  however,  could  shake  the  firmness  of  his  soul — oppression 
might  drive  the  iron  into  it,  but  could  not  weaken  its  integrity. 
Threats  and  temptations  were  alternately  used,  but  in  vain.  To 
Major  Money  of  the  British  army,  he  wrote  in  the  following  bold  and 
eloquent  strain.  "I  entered  into  this  cause  after  reflection,  and 
through  principle.  My  heart  is  altogether  American,  and  neither 
severity,  nor  favor,  nor  poverty,  nor  affluence,  can  ever  induce  me  to 
swerve  from  it."  To  Captain  McMahon,  another  British  officer,  he 
emphatically  says,  "  The  freedom  and  independence  of  my  country 
are  the  Gods  of  my  idolatry." 

It  was  during  this  period  that  the  discussion  between  Major  Barry, 
of  the  British  army,  and  himself  occurred  on  some  points  relating  to 
the  exchange  of  prisoners.  Barry  having  quoted  Grotius  in  support 
of  his  side  of  the  question,  General  PINCKNEY  promptly  declared,  that 
the  opinions  of  that  great  jurist  were  in  direct  opposition  to  what  had 
been  stated.  Reference  was  made  to  the  author,  when  Major  Barry 
was  obliged  to  confess  his  error,  lamenting  "  that  he  had  not 
studied  the  passage  with  his  usual  accuracy." 

At  length  he  received  the  intelligence  of  his  exchange,  when  it  was 
too  late  to  be  of  much  value  to  him,  in  a  letter  from  General  Mclntosh, 
dated  at  Philadelphia,  19th  February,  1782.  The  war  was  then 
really  at  an  end  by  the  capture  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  Soon  after  he 
was  raised  to  brevet  rank  as  Brigadier ;  his  commission  is  dated  at 
Princeton,  1783,  General  Lincoln  then  acting  as  Secretary  at  War. 
On  the  return  of  peace,  General  PINCKNEY  resumed  the  practice  of  law, 
his  fortune  having  been  much  impaired.  Time  and  casualties  had 
swept  away  most  of  the  old  and  learned  members  of  the  bar.  He 
found  in  their  place  a  new  set  of  young  men,  clever,  but  of  imper- 
fect education — the  war  having  broken  the  regular  course  of  study. 
He,  with  a  few  more,  might  have  ruled  as  monarchs  of  the  bar;  but 
his  generous  spirit  disdained  to  profit  by  the  weakness  of  others.  He 
preferred  to  introduce  a  simple,  liberal,  and  intelligible  mode  of  prac- 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

tice,  stripping  off  all  useless  subtleties  and  technical  rules,  and  endea- 
voured to  make  the  profession  what  it  should  be,  enlightened  and 
honorable  in  the  eyes  of  the  community.  His  business  was  large, 
and  its  profits  commensurate, — reaching  in  one  year  the  amount  of 
four  thousand  guineas,  a  considerable  sum  for  that  day.  A  nice 
sense  of  honor  made  him  discriminate  in  his  cases,  and  it  was  not 
every  one  that  offered,  that  he  would  take.  He  never  forgot  the  in- 
junction of  his  venerable  father,  to  which  his  own  generous  heart 
involuntarily  responded,  to  be  the  friend  of  the  widow  and  the  father- 
less. From  these  he  never  would  take  compensation  ;  and  he  carried 
into  his  profession  the  spirit  of  chivalry  itself,  which  he  exhibited  on 
one  remarkable  occasion,  and  to  which  the  writer  of  this  sketch  is  not 
at  liberty  to  do  more  than  to  allude.  During  this  period  he  was 
more  than  once  solicited  by  General  Washington  to  enter  into  his 
cabinet.  He  was  offered  a  place  on  the  Supreme  Bench  ;  then  the 
post  of  Secretary  at  War,  as  the  successor  of  General  Knox ;  after- 
wards that  of  Secretary  of  State,  on  the  removal  of  Mr.  Randolph. 
He  steadily  and  consistently,  for  reasons  satisfactory  to  his  own  mind, 
declined  these  honors,  and  stated  finally  in  reply,  "  That  whenever 
the  President  should  call  him  to  the  performance  of  any  public  duty, 
to  which  private  considerations  ought  to  yield,  and  should  say  to  him 
'that  he  must  accept,'  all  private  obligations  should  cease." 

This  pledge  he  redeemed  by  accepting  the  mission  to  France, 
which  General  Washington,  in  a  letter  from  Mount  Yernon,  July  8th, 
1796,  pressed  on  him  in  language  that  did  honor  to  both.  On  this 
occasion  his  characteristic  energy  and  decision  was  manifested.  In 
a  very  few  days  after  having  notified  his  acceptance  of  the  appoint- 
ment, he  embarked  for  Philadelphia  and  thence  for  Bordeaux.  He 
arrived  in  Paris  the  5th  day  of  December ;  but  on  the  way  had  to 
submit  to  the  national  welcome  of  the  Poissardes,  who,  a  post  and  a 
half  from  the  city,  stopped  his  carriage,  arid  opening  the  door,  insisted 
on  the  American  ambassador's  giving  them  the  fraternal  embrace. 

On  the  next  day  he  transmitted,  by  his  Secretary  of  Legation, 
Major  Henry  Rutledge,  to  Mr.  Monroe,  his  letters  of  recal ;  and  a  few 
days  afterwards  made  his  first  and  only  visit  to  the  Secretary  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  Monsieur  De  La  Croix,  whose  reception  of  him  was 
cold  and  inauspicious. 

The  Directory  had  already  determined  not  to  receive  him  as  mi- 
nister of  the  United  States,  and  accordingly  Monsieur  De  La  Croix 
addressed  a  note  to  Mr.  Monroe,  with  whom  the  French  government 
was  still  in  correspondence,  in  these  terms : — "  The  Directory  has 


CHARLES  C.  PINCKNEY. 

charged  me  to  notify  you,  that  it  will  not  acknowledge  nor  receive 
another  Minister  Plenipotentiary  from  the  United  States  until  after 
the  redress  of  the  grievances  demanded  of  the  American  government." 
This  official  insult,  which  must  have  been  galling  in  the  extreme,  was 
borne  with  a  serenity  and  dignity  of  mind  that  proved  him  fit  to  be 
an  ambassador. 

General  PINCKNEY'S  sound  judgment  warned  him,  that  on  the 
very  threshold  of  his  embassy,  prudence  and  duty  both  required  that 
he  should  show  the  temper  of  forbearance.  The  interests  of  his 
country,  her  attachment,  and  proper  feeling  of  gratitude  towards  an 
ancient  ally,  whose  powerful  arm  had  stretched  across  the  Atlantic, 
and  supported  her  in  the  dark  hour  of  trial — all  united  to  impress 
upon  him  the  strongest  disposition  for  peace.  The  moment  had  not 
yet  arrived  for  him  to  vindicate  his  own  high  courage  and  the  Ame- 
rican people,  in  that  noble  sentiment  which  afterwards  burst  from  his 
lips,  and  has  become  familiar  as  our  household  words. 

"  MILLIONS  FOR  DEFENCE,  NOT  A  CENT  FOR  TRIBUTE." 

The  position  of  General  PINCKNEY  in  the  French  capital  was  criti- 
cal, and  was  well  calculated  to  fill  him  with  anxiety.  He  thus  speaks 
of  it  in  a  letter  to  Colonel  Pickering — "  My  situation,  as  you  may  easily 
conceive,  is  unpleasant ;  but  if  I  can  ultimately  render  any  services  to 
my  country,  I  shall  be  fully  compensated :  at  all  events  it  shall  be 
my  study  to  avoid  increasing  the  discontent  of  this  government, 
without  committing  the  honor,  dignity,  and  respect,  due  to  my  own." 

On  the  5th  of  February,  after  being  two  months  in  Paris,  he  left  it 
by  an  order  from  the  Directory,  having,  by  his  patience  and  firmness, 
finally  compelled  them  to  address  a  note  to  himself,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  an  extract : — "  Le  Directoire  executif  Monsieur  m'a  charge 
de  vous  faire  savoir  que  n'ayant  point  obtenu  de  permission  particu- 
lier,  pour  resider  a  Paris  vous  etes  soumis  a  la  loi  qui  oblige  les 
etrangers  a  quitter  le  territoire  de  la  Republique." 

DE  LA  CROIX. 

General  PINCKNEY  having  obtained  what  he  desired  in  this  pe- 
remptory mandate,  immediately  left  the  territory  of  France,  and  re- 
tired to  Holland  to  await  the  instructions  of  the  American  government. 
President  Washington  empowered  Judge  Marshall  and  Elbridge 
Gerry  to  join  General  PINCKNEY  in  Holland,  and  forthwith  proceed 
with  him  to  Paris ;  and  there,  as  Envoys  Extraordinary,  endeavor  to 
settle  all  existing  difficulties.  Success  did  not  follow  this  new  and 
sincere  effort  towards  reconciliation.  Our  limits  forbid  enlarging  on 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

this  portion  of  General  PINCKNEY'S  diplomatic  career.  It  is  suffi- 
cient to  remark,  that  it  was  satisfactory  to  the  government  and  the 
country.  His  colleague,  General  Marshall,  and  himself,  returned  to 
the  United  States,  leaving  Mr.  Gerry  in  France,  who,  as  it  appears 
from  the  correspondence  of  the  day,  was  persuaded  to  this  step  by 
citizen  Talleyrand,  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  a  separate  negoti- 
ation between  the  two  nations.  President  Adams,  however,  did  not 
sanction  this  conduct  on  the  part  of  Gerry,  and  he  received  a  positive 
letter  of  recal  from  the  Secretary  of  State,  dated  Jan.  25,  1798. 

The  spirit  of  the  nation  was  now  justly  excited,  and  when  General 
PINCKNEY  arrived  in  America,  he  found  the  tone  of  public  sentiment 
strong  .for  hostilities.  On  the  12th  of  October,  1798,  he  landed  at 
Paulus  Hook,  where  he  was  received  by  a  large  concourse  of  citizens, 
who  greeted  him  with  enthusiastic  cheers.  The  yellow  fever  was 
then  raging  in  New- York,  and  he  was  compelled  to  proceed  to  the 
town  of  Newark  with  his  family.  He  there  received  a  letter  from 
James  McHenry,  dated  October  17th,  1798,  enclosing  his  commission 
as  a  Major-general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  which  was  being 
put  on  the  war  establishment.  It  contained  the  following  well-me- 
rited and  just  compliment  to  his  patriotism  :  "  The  readiness  you  have 
expressed  to  accept  of  your  appointment,  after  so  long  an  absence 
from  home  and  your  private  affairs,  is  extremely  satisfactory ;  and 
will,  I  am  sure,  be  fully  estimated  by  the  President  and  your  country." 

When  President  Adams  appointed  Washington  to  the  command  of 
the  army,  he  also  left  to  his  judgment  the  selection  of  the  other  supe- 
rior officers.  The  appointment,  therefore,  of  General  PINCKNEY  is 
another  strong  proof  of  the  continued  friendship  and  confidence  of 
Washington  in  his  patriotism  and  abilities.  The  relative  rank  of  the 
Major-generals  stood  thus  :  Washington — Alexander  Hamilton — 
CHARLES  COTESWORTH  PINCKNEY — Henry  Knox.  Hamilton,  du- 
ring the  war  of  the  Revolution,  was  the  junior  of  General  PINCKNEY. 
This  circumstance  being  pointed  out  to  him  by  a  gentleman  of  his 
acquaintance,  who  laid  much  stress  on  the  injustice  and  partiality  of 
this  preference,  General  PINCKNEY  gave  this  memorable  reply, 
worthy  of  a  Themistocles  or  a  Scipio  : — "  I  am  confident  that  Gene- 
ral Washington  had  sufficient  reasons  for  this  preference.  Let  us 
first  dispose  of  our  enemies,  we  shall  then  have  leisure  to  settle  the 
question  of  rank." 

Hostilities  did  not  break  out,  and  he  once  more  retired  to  the  calm 
and  elegant  enjoyments  of  a  home,  of  which  his  social  powers  and 
polished  manners  formed  one  of  the  most  graceful  ornaments. 


CHARLES  C.  PINCKNEY. 

It  is  fact  well  understood,  that  if  General  PINCKNEY,  in  the  year 
1800,  when  the  great  struggle  of  parties  happened,  could  have  con- 
sented to  unite  his  name  with  that  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  he  would  have 
been  either  President  or  Vice  President  of  the  United  States.  But, 
true  to  himself,  true  to  his  principles,  consistent  in  all  things,  he 
would  not,  even  to  win  the  first  office  in  the  gift  of  the  people,  and 
gratify  the  inclination  of  his  native  State,  agree  to  a  measure  that 
might  seem  to  compromise  his  integrity.  General  PINCKNEY  was  a 
member  of  the  enlightened  assembly  that  formed  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States.  Again  his  was  one  of  the  leading  minds  in  the 
State  Convention  that  framed  the  Constitution  of  1790. 

In  the  South  Carolina  State  Convention  of  1778  he  exhibited  not  only 
very  vigorous,  but  likewise  liberal  powers  of  mind.  He  forcibly  and 
successfully  sustained,  in  that  convention,  a  proposition  of  the  Rev. 
William  Tennant  to  secure  liberty  and  equality  to  all  Protestant 
sects ;  and  as  he  was  a  strict  Episcopalian,  it  is  but  just  to  infer  that 
he  acted  or  argued  from  conviction,  and  not  indifference.  The  uni- 
form respect  with  which  he  treated  the  clergy  of  all  denominations 
endeared  him  to  them ;  and  is  evinced  in  the  fact,  that  Christians  of 
every  sect  united  in  choosing  him  the  first  President  of  the  Bible 
Society  of  Charleston,  and  they  continued  him  in  that  honorable  sta- 
tion for  fifteen  years,  to  the  period  of  his  death. 

General  PINCKNEY  .was  a  considerable  landholder  in  the  city  of 
Charleston.  He  had  numerous  tenants  living  on  his  property,  and  to 
all  of  them  he  was  forbearing  and  compassionate  ;  often  submitting 
to  the  loss  of  his  just  dues  rather  than  resort  to  the  rigors  of  the  law. 
Indeed,  his  benevolence  was  of  the  most  enlarged  character,  and  was 
experienced  not  only  by  the  poor,  and  such  as  were  dependent  on 
him,  but  in  his  liberal  support  of  churches,  seminaries  of  learning, 
and  every  object  of  public  utility.  His  hospitality  was  unbounded, 
and  was  of  that  princely  sort,  that  it  did  honor  to  South  Carolina. 
How  many  foreigners,  how  many  Americans,  are  now  living  to  whom 
such  a  reminiscence  ought  to  be  familiar?  His  conversation  was 
singularly  instructive  and  amusing,  for  he  had  both  seen  and  thought 
much ;  and  the  ease  and  frankness  of  his  manners  invited  the  approach 
of  all  who  chose  to  participate  in  its  pleasures.  His  own  library  was 
extensive ;  but  the  valuable  collection  of  his  father,  together  with 
many  manuscripts  and  interesting  family  documents,  were  burnt  by 
the  army  of  General  Provost  at  a  country-seat  near  Charleston,  at  the 
time  of  his  forced  march  on  the  city — a  loss  which  General  PINCK- 
NEY oftentimes  lamented.  His  appetite  for  reading  was  great.  No- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

thing  in  the  shape  of  a  book  escaped  his  attention.  He  read  from 
the  moment  he  arose  in  the  morning ;  that  is,  a  page  or  a  few  sen- 
tences at  a  time,  while  he  walked  about  his  chamber  and  dressed ; 
his  intellect  was  constantly  exercised. 

General  PINCKNEY,  as  he  advanced  in  life,  applied  himself  to  the 
sciences — Chemistry  and  Botany  became  his  favorite  pursuits ;  and 
such  was  his  thirst  for  knowledge,  that,  while  on  his  embassy  to 
France,  he  seized  that  opportunity  of  listening  to  the  lectures  of  the 
celebrated  Fourcroy.  At  his  country  residence  (Pinckney  Island,  a 
most  enchanting  spot)  he  had  an  apartment  fitted  up  as  a  laboratory, 
containing  an  excellent  Philosophical  apparatus  ;  and  there  he  amused 
himself  during  several  hours  of  every  morning  in  winter. 

In  person  General  PINCKNEY  did  not  exceed  the  ordinary  stature. 
His  form  was  round,  muscular,  and  closely  knit ;  and  admirably  con- 
structed for  exercise  and  durability.  His  countenance  was  mark- 
ed, and  highly  expressive  of  almost  every  variety  of  emotion  ; 
but  in  repose,  particularly  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  it  wore  the 
character  of  majesty ;  and  no  one  could  look  upon  it  without  feeling 
the  inspiration  of  the  profoundest  veneration. 

If  the  eye,  as  has  been  beautifully  said,  be  the  mirror  of  the  soul,  in 
his  might  have  been  clearly  read — courage — benevolence — honor — 
truth ;  and,  indeed,  all  these  were  the  predominant  qualities  illustrated 
in  his  life.  No  man  ever  enjoyed  in  a  higher  degree  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow-citizens.  His  acknowledged  gallantry  of  spirit — his  dis- 
dain of  all  selfish,  narrow,  and  dishonorable  conduct — his  public 
and  private  munificence — his  readiness  at  all  times  to  maintain  the 
common- weal,  and  those  great  principles  of  constitutional  liberty  for 
which  he  had  fought  and  suffered  so  much,  endeared  him  to  all  men  ; 
and  during  the  bitter  conflicts  of  party,  like  the  bright  and  impenetra- 
ble helmet  of  Minerva,  preserved  his  head  from  every  hostile  touch. 

Such  is  the  brief  and  imperfect  narrative  of  the  career  of  this  wise 
and  virtuous  man,  who  was  honored  in  his  generation,  and  is  now 
gratefully  remembered  by  posterity.  General  PINCKNEY  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife  was  Sarah,  daughter  of  Henry  Middleton, 
second  President  of  Congress.  Of  this  marriage  three  daughters  sur- 
vived him.  The  second  wife  was  a  descendant  of  Sir  Nathaniel 
Johnson,  one  of  the  Proprietory  Governors  of  South  Carolina.  She 
died  without  children.  General  PINCKNEY  expired  in  Charleston  on 
the  16th  August  1825,  with  the  fortitude  of  a  Christian  philosopher, 
in  his  eightieth  year.  J.  L- 


Engnwei  bj  i  Gross  from  a  fisi-.  •  - 

•(£T(0)S.-- 


JOSEPH      HABERSHAM. 


COLONEL  JOSEPH  HABERSHAM  was  born  at  Savannah,  in  Georgia,  on 
the  28th  of  July,  1751.  His  father,  James  Habersham,  was  a  native 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  accompanied  his  friend,  the  Rev.  George 
Whitefield,  to  Georgia  in  the  year  1738.  There  he  soon  became  the 
President  of  the  Orphan  House,  or  Bethesda  College,  established  by 
the  exertions  of  Mr.  Whitefield ;  for  which  charge  he  was  well  quali- 
fied, by  his  literary,  as  well  as  moral  and  religious  character  and 
habits.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  one  of  the  King's  Council  in 
the  Colony,  and  subsequently  its  President  and  acting  Governor,  in 
the  absence  of  Sir  James  Wright,  in  which  situation  he  remained 
until  his  death,  a  few  months  before  the  expulsion  of  the  Royal  au- 
thority from  Georgia,  in  the  year  1776.  Although  foreign  to  our 
subject,  it  is  but  justice  to  the  memory  of  President  Habersham  to  re- 
mark, that,  while  in  office,  his  letters  pointed  out  to  the  ministry  the 
grievances  under  which  the  Colony  was  laboring  from  the  pernicious 
and  oppressive  acts  of  the  British  Parliament,  the  growing  spirit  of 
liberty  among  the  people,  and  warned  them  of  the  consequences  of 
perseverance  in  oppression.  Faithful  to  his  duties,  but  independent 
in  their  exercise,  after  a  life  devoted  to  the  service  and  improvement 
of  his  adopted  country,  he  was  saved,  by  death,  from  seeing  that 
country  "made  a  desolation,"  his  fair  possessions  wasted,  and  his 
sons  denounced  as  traitors.  Of  these  sons  there  were  three,  James, 
JOSEPH,  and  John,  who  all  engaged  with  zeal  in  the  Revolution ;  and, 
regardless  of  consequences,  rejecting  and  despising  all  offers  of  Royal 
clemency,  continued  to  the  end  the  unflinching  friends  and  active 
supporters  of  the  republican  cause. 

JOSEPH,  the  second  son,  and  subject  of  this  notice,  was  educated  at 
Princeton  College,  in  New  Jersey.  Of  quick  and  ardent  temper,  brave 
and  chivalrous  almost  to  excess,  a  pupil  of  Witherspoon,  and  with  the 
independent  spirit  which  he  had  inherited  from  his  father,  it  seems  to 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

have  been  almost  a  matter  of  course  that  he  should  have  taken  an 
early,  active,  and  decided  part  in  the  excited  feelings  and  deeply  in- 
teresting movements  of  the  times.  Accordingly,  on  the  27th  July,  1774, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  we  find  him  a  member  of  the  first  commit- 
tee appointed  by  the  friends  of  liberty  in  Georgia  ;  which,  in  defiance 
of  the  proclamation  of  Governor  Wright,  continued  to  co-operate  with 
similar  committees  in  the  northern  Provinces,  and  to  excite  the  people  to 
resistance.  When  we  recollect,  in  connexion  with  this  fact,  that  his  father 
was,  at  that  moment,  the  second  officer  of  the  King  in  the  Province,  and 
high  in  favor,  the  prominent  part  which  Colonel  HABERSHAM  took  in 
these  proceedings  exhibits  a  deep  devotion  to  the  cause  of  his  country, 
which  no  influence  of  others,  or  considerations  of  a  personal  nature, 
could  restrain.  In  the  following  year,  and  while  his  father  was  still 
alive  and  in  office,  we  again  find  his  name  recorded  among  those  of  a 
small  party  of  the  Republicans,  who  broke  open  the  magazine,  took 
out  the  powder,  and  sent  a  large  portion  of  it  to  Beaufort,  in  South 
Carolina,  for  the  use  of  the  patriots.  In  the  month  of  June  of  the 
same  year  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  council  of  safety ;  and  in  July, 
commanded  a  party  of  volunteers  which  went  down  the  river  in 
boats,  captured  a  government  ship  which  had  just  arrived  with  mu- 
nitions of  war  for  the  royal  troops,  and  took  out  the  cargo,  includ- 
ing 15,000  pounds  of  powder,  a  portion  of  which  was  afterwards 
sent  to  the  north  and  used  by  the  American  army  before  Boston. 
On  the  18th  day  of  January  of  the  ever-memorable  year  1776,  Colo- 
nel HABERSHAM,  who  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  the  assembly, 
raised  a  party  of  volunteers,  took  Governor  Wright  prisoner,  and  con- 
fined him  to  his  house  under  a  guard.  The  Governor  effected  his 
escape,  however,  from  this  prison  in  a  few  weeks,  took  refuge  on 
board  of  a  British  vessel  of  war  then  in  the  river,  and  never  after- 
wards landed  in  Georgia. 

Active  hostilities  were  now  fairly  commenced  in  the  province.  By 
a  resolution  of  the  General  Assembly  the  first  battalion  of  Georgia 
Continental  troops  was  raised ;  and  on  the  4th  of  February,  1776, 
Colonel,  then  Mr.  HABERSHAM,  was  appointed  Major  of  that  battalion. 
In  this  command  he  did  not  remain  idle  ;  for,  early  in  March,  the 
British  armed  squadron  came  up  the  river  Savannah  to  recover  pos- 
session of  the  town,  which  attempt  failed.  In  the  defence,  Colonel  HA- 
BERSHAM, at  the  head  of  a  company  of  riflemen,  bore  a  distinguished 
part.  In  fact,  he  appears  at  this  time  to  have  been  prominently  en- 
gaged on  every  occasion  in  which  danger  was  to  be  encountered,  or 
the  royal  authority  resisted. 


JOSEPH   HABERSHAM. 

After  the  expulsion  of  Governor  Wright,  and  of  the  British  forces 
from  Georgia,  that  Province  enjoyed  a  few  months  of  comparative 
quiet ;  during  which,  on  the  19th  of  May,  1776,  Colonel  HABERSHAM 
married  Isabella  Rae,  the  daughter  of  Robert  Rae,  and  sister-in-law  of 
General  Samuel  Elbert.  Upon  the  taking  of  Savannah,  in  the  winter  of 
1778,  and  the  re-establishment  of  the  Royal  Government  in  Georgia, 
Colonel  HABERSHAM  removed  his  family  to  Virginia  for  safety ;  but 
his  zeal  in  the  cause  of  his  country  did  not  permit  him  to  retire  from 
its  service,  and  accordingly,  upon  the  landing  of  Count  De  Estaing 
in  Georgia,  to  co-operate  with  General  Lincoln  in  the  reduction  of 
Savannah,  he  was  selected  as  the  officer  to  guide  the  French  army 
from  the  sea-board,  and  was  engaged  in  the  combined  attack  upon 
his  native  city,  so  disastrous  in  its  results.  After  the  failure  of  this 
attack,  and  the  retreat  of  the  American  and  French  armies  from  the 
State,  Savannah,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  Georgia,  remained  in  pos- 
session of  the  British,  and  so  continued  to  the  end  of  the  war. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  Colonel  HABERSHAM  returned  to 
private  life  with  a  broken  fortune,  but  rich  in  the  respect  and  affection  of 
a  free  and  independent  people.  In  the  ever-memorable  contest  which 
had  just  closed,  it  would  be  invidious  to  claim  for  Colonel  HABER- 
SHAM either  a  peculiar  strength  of  patriotism  or  of  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  the  Revolution ;  thousands,  like  him,  had  perilled  life  and 
fortune  in  that  Revolution  ;  but  when  we  reflect  that  his  father  was 
high  in  office,  and  in  the  confidence  of  the  King ;  that  he  himself, 
if  the  Royal  authority  was  preserved,  had  every  prospect  of  enjoying 
like  confidence  and  distinction  ;  that  the  very  weakness  of  the  Pro- 
vince gave,  in  the  beginning,  but  little  hope  of  effectual  resistance; 
and  that,  in  the  event  of  failure,  he  would,  from  these  very  circum- 
stances, become  a  marked  object  of  Royal  vengeance;  surely  we  may 
be  entitled  to  claim  for  him  more  than  a  common  share  of  devoted 
patriotism — and  such  was  the  portion  awarded  to  him  by  his  native 
State.  In  the  year  1785  he  was  elected  Speaker  of  the  General  As 
sembly ;  and  in  1790  was  again  honored  with  the  same  distinction. 

In  the  year  1795  Colonel  HABERSHAM  was  called,  by  Washington, 
to  the  distinguished  station  of  Post-Master-General  of  the  United 
States ;  and  we  require  no  better  proof  of  the  able  and  faithful  manner 
in  which  he  discharged  his  duties,  than  the  fact  that  he  retained  that 
office,  not  only  to  the  close  of  the  administration  of  Washington,  but 
throughout  that  of  the  elder  Adams.  At  a  period  when  so  many, 
from  great  and  devoted  service  to  the  country,  had  claims  to  office  ; 
and  these  claims,  well-known  and  appreciated  ;  and  when  the  selec- 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

tion  was  made  by  Washington,  this  appointment  was  the  best  evidence 
of  his  great  merit,  and  the  general  estimation  in  which  he  was  held. 
In  this  office,  as  has  been  already  stated,  he  continued  until  the  ac- 
cession of  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  presidency ;  but  he  retained  the  office 
so  long,  by  no  cringing  or  truckling  to  the  higher  authorities ;  for  the 
president,  Mr.  Adams,  having  told  him  that  the  post-office  department 
was  an  Augean  stable,  and  must  be  cleansed — meaning  that  the  post- 
masters who  were  of  the  opposite  party  must  be  removed  ;  Colonel 
HABERSHAM  replied,  that  these  officers  had  discharged  their  duty 
faithfully,  and  that,  therefore,  he  would  not  remove  them,  but  that 
the  president  could  remove  the  post-master-general.  This,  however, 
Mr.  Adams,  it  seems,  did  not  think  proper  to  do. 

The  principle,  however,  which  Colonel  HABERSHAM  refused  to 
act  upon  was  soon  after  made  to  act  upon  him.  When  Mr.  Jefferson 
became  the  president,  a  polite  note  was  addressed  to  Colonel  HABER- 
SHAM, tendering  to  him  the  office  of  Treasurer  of  the  United  States. 
This  offer  was  received  as,  no  doubt,  it  was  intended  to  be,  an  inti- 
mation to  him  to  resign  the  office  of  post-master-general,  which  he 
immediately  did,  and  returned  to  Georgia. 

Upon  the  establishment  of  a  branch  of  the  old  Bank  of  the  United 
States  in  Savannah,  Colonel  HABERSHAM  was  appointed  the  President, 
which  office  he  continued  to  hold  until  the  expiration  of  the  charter. 
The  few  remaining  years  of  his  life  were  devoted  to  honorable  efforts 
to  repair  the  ruins  of  that  fortune  which  had  been  broken  by  the 
Revolution,  and  in  preparation  for  the  close  of  that  life,  the  greater 
portion  of  which  had  been  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country.  His 
death  occurred  in  his  native  city,  on  the  17th  day  of  November  in 
the  year  1815,  and  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

We  have  said  that  Colonel  HABERSHAM  was  quick  and  ardent  in 
temper  ;  but,  although  quick  to  take  offence,  he  was  ready  and  anxious 
to  make  atonement  for  the  slightest  wrong — kind  and  indulgent  to 
his  slaves,  humane  and  liberal  to  the  poor,  strict  in  the  performance 
of  all  his  contracts ;  tenacious  of  his  own,  as  he  had  been  of  the  rights 
of  his  country.  Allowing  to  others  the  same  independent  and  frank 
expression  of  opinion  which  he  always  exercised  for  himself,  he  may 
with  truth  be  pronounced  to  have  been  a  fair  specimen  of  that  noble, 
generous,  and  chivalric  race  who  achieved  the  liberty  and  indepen- 
dence of  our  happy  country. 


aved  by  7.  ?  '.','._ .  .:  irorr,  a  Porirajitr;/  J  3.  Longacre  after  an  ori^rul  painnng  by  J  W  J» 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 

To  form  a  correct  estimate  of  the  services  of  GEORGE  ROGERS 
CLARKE,  we  must  examine  the  extensive  outline  of  the  British  pos- 
sessions in  North  America  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war  ;  we  must  turn  our  attention  from  the  broad  field  of  contest, 
stretching  along  the  Atlantic,  where  the  sovereignty  of  the  elder  States 
was  lost  and  won,  and  trace  the  links  of  that  chain  which  galled  the 
Northern  and  Western  frontiers  of  the  United  States  during  the  war 
for  Independence,  but  which  were  broken  in  succession  by  a  series  of 
gallant  exploits,  that  ultimately  secured  the  extensive  western  domain 
of  the  republic,  and  gave  existence  to  the  new  States  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi.  We  must  become  acquainted  with  the  horrors  of 
Indian  warfare  as  it  was  waged  upon  those,  who  at  that  time  were 
the  pioneers  of  the  far  West.  We  must  seek  the  origin,  and  no- 
tice, at  least  in  part,  the  execution  of  the  savage  policy  of  the  British 
ministry,  which  drew  from  the  venerable  Earl  of  Chatham  those 
bursts  of  indignant  eloquence,  which  have  rendered  his  name  fami- 
liar to  every  schoolboy  in  America.  Then  it  will  be  seen,  that  the 
object  of  that  barbarous  and  cruel  policy,  or  whatever  else  it  might 
have  been,  which  let  loose  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  upon  the 
frontier  settlers  of  the  States,  which. the  immortal  senator  denounced, 
was  severely  chastised  and  checked,  if  not  defeated,  by  the  energy  and 
prowess  of  CLARKE,  at  the  head  of  a  mere  handful  of  brave  back- 
woodsmen. 

From  the  first  settlement  of  the  Colonies  in  America,  whether  by 
the  Spaniards,  French,  or  English,  all  had  availed  themselves  of  the 
divisions  amongst  the  aboriginal  tribes,  their  thirst  for  revenge,  their 
love  of  the  fierce, .excitements  of  war,  and  their  credulity ;  and  sought, 
first,  to  attach  those  tribes  nearest  to  their  settlements  to  themselves, 
and  then  set  them  on  to  destroy  their  enemies.  The  wars  and  na- 
tional animosities  of  Europe  were  transferred  with  the  Colonists  to 
the  American  wilderness.  All  the  barbarities  of  Indian  warfare 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

were  tolerated  and  frequently  rewarded.*  The  red  men  were  stimu- 
lated to  destroy  each  other,  and  to  shed  the  blood  of  white  men,  and 
to  spare  not ;  and  when  even  the  Europeans  were  at  peace  among 
themselves,  base  and  mercenary  individuals  of  their  race  availed  them- 
selves of  their  intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes  to  rouse  them  to 
deeds  of  violence.  We  do  not  say  that  contention  could  have  been 
always  avoided,  had  the  short-sighted  policy  of  the  whites  been  of  a 
more  humane  and  consistent  character.  The  very  growth  and  ex- 
tension of  the  Colonies  would  have  created  jealousy  in  the  hunters  of 
the  forest,  and  a  consequent  effort  to  check  the  intrusion.  The 
interests  and  habits  of  civilized  and  savage  life,  when  they  interfere 
with  each  other,  must  lead  sooner  or  later  to  collision  arid  strife  ;  and 
to  terminate  the  consequent  evils  once  for  all,  extermination  or  sepa- 
ration are  the  alternatives.  The  former  has  been  extensively  prac- 
tised upon,  but  the  latter  has  been  for  many  years  the  grand  scheme 
of  the  republic. 

At  the  termination  of  the  French  war,  in  1763,  Great  Britain  held 
the  vast  tract  of  country  which  extends  north  and  east  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  and  the  Mississippi — from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  unex- 
plored regions  of  the  Frozen  Sea.  The  wars  between  the  French  and 
English  for  the  possession  of  Canada,  and  for  the  territory  between 
the  lakes  and  the  Ohio,  had  brought  into  the  field,  on  both  sides,  aux- 
iliary Indian  forces.  The  treaty  of  peace  negotiated  at  Paris  did  not 
secure  tranquillity  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  borders.  The  Indian 
tribes  on  the  North-western  territory  only  paused  to  form  new  plans, 
and  then  went  on  to  harass  the  frontiers  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylva- 
nia as  they  had  done  before.  Their  scalping  parties  advanced  into 
the  settlements,  and  marked  their  way  with  the  most  horrid  cruelties. 
Large  bodies  of  the  confederated  tribes  attacked  all  the  distant  forti- 
fied posts,  and  in  fifteen  days  captured  ten  of  them  and  massacred  the 
garrisons.  Forts  Pitt,  Niagara,  and  Detroit  held  out,  and  were  relieved 
and  saved. 

Although  a  peace  with  the  Indians  was  formally  concluded  by 
Colonel  Bouquet  in  1764,  their  fixed  hostility  to  the  whites  displayed 
itself  whenever  an  opportunity  presented  of  taking  a  prisoner  or  a  scalp. 

*  There  were  exceptions,  but  they  were  few.  When  the  Indians  were  employed  by  the 
Europeans  in  their  wars,  attempts  to  control  them  gave  offence :  the  following  extract  from 
Williams's  History  of  Florida  is  to  the  point: — "A  Cherokee  encountering  a  Spaniard,  cut 
off  his  head  and  brought  it  to  Oglethorpe,  but  he  spurned  the  savage  with  abhorrence,  and, 
calling  him  a  barbarous  dog,  bid  him  begone.  The  Cherokee  said  that  the  French  would 
have  treated  them  very  differently.  They  soon  after  drew  off,  and  left  the  place." 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 

Retaliation  followed  of  course.  Thus  the  backwoodsmen  became  fa- 
miliar with  all  the  subleties  and  craft  of  Indian  warfare  ;  and  such  in 
general  was  their  love  of  adventure  and  disdain  of  danger,  that  they 
frequently  undertook  hazardous  enterprises  from  mere  curiosity,  or 
the  pleasure  of  traversing  a  country  where  no  white  man  had  ever 
trod  before. 

About  the  year  1770,  the  unoccupied  domain  of  Virginia,  west  of 
the  Cumberland  mountains,  began  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  ad- 
venturous inhabitants  of  the  borders.  Individuals  and  small  parties 
successively  ventured  to  explore  the  unknown  region.  Many  of  them 
never  returned ;  but  those  who  did,  gave  the  most  favorable  reports  of 
the  richness  of  the  soil  and  the  abundance  of  game.  The  settlement 
of  the  present  State  of  Kentucky  immediately  followed ;  and  about  a 
year  afterward  the  Revolutionary  war  commenced. 

Amongst  those  who  visited  Kentucky  at,  or  soon  after,  the  period 
that  the  earliest  emigrants  had  there  set  up  their  cabins,  was  GEORGE 
ROGERS  CLARKE.  He  was  a  Virginian  ;  born  in  Albemarle,  on  the 
19th  of  Nove.  1752,  but  is  spoken  of  as  a  resident  in  one  of  the 
Western  counties  in  1776,  when  he  went  on  a  tour  of  observation 
amongst  the  new  settlements.  He  visited  the  forts,  the  camps,  the 
cabins ;  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  the  woods,  made  himself  ac- 
quainted with  every  subject  of  interest  in  the  country,  and  gained  the 
friendship  and  confidence  of  the  people  by  the  manliness  of  his  de- 
portment, his  intelligence  and  vivacity,  and  above  all,  by  the  boldness 
of  his  spirit  for  enterprise,  and  the  determination  he  expressed  of  be- 
coming a  resident  of  the  country.  This  visit  of  Mr.  CLARKE  was 
productive  of  very  important  events.  He  ascertained  that  the  whole 
frontier  was  vexed  by  Indian  atrocities,  through  the  influence  of 
British  agents.  The  savages  were  instigated  to  deeds  of  cruelty  by 
the  promises  of  reward  for  scalps,  but  not  for  prisoners ;  and  they  were 
supplied  with  rum,  arms,  ammunition  and  clothing  at  the  British 
posts,  which  were  established  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  St.  Law- 
rence. Mr.  CLARKE  was  deeply  affected  by  the  scenes  of  hostility 
by  which  he  found  himself  surrounded.  He  therefore  devised  a  plan 
to  capture  the  Western  posts,  a  work  which  was  well  adapted  to  em- 
ploy his  genius,  and,  if  attended  with  success,  to  gratify  his  military 
propensities  and  ardent  love  of  adventure. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  the  British  posts  on  the  Wabash 
and  the  Mississippi  were  within  the  bounds  of  the  Virginia  charter  ; 
that  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  now  writing,  a  strong  current  of 
emigration  had  begun  to  set  towards  the  West ;  and  that  in  1777, 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

Kentucky  was  admitted  to  the  privileges  of  a  County  of  Virginia. 
The  possibility  and  importance  of  capturing  those  posts,  and  securing 
thereby  the  tranquillity  of  the  frontier,  was  suggested  by  Mr.  CLARKE 
to  the  governor  and  legislature  of  Virginia,  and  his  project  met  with 
a  favorable  reception.  In  the  beginning  of  1778  a  regiment  of  State 
troops  was  raised  for  the  service  of  the  Western  frontier,  and  placed 
under  his  command.  With  a  force  of  between  two  and  three  hun- 
dred men,  Colonel  CLARKE  crossed  the  mountains  to  the  Mononga- 
hela,  and  descended  by  water  to  the  falls  of  the  Ohio.  There  he  left 
thirteen  families  of  emigrants,  who  had  ventured  so  far  under  his 
escort ;  and  being  there  joined  by  a  party  of  volunteers  from  Ken- 
tucky, he  proceeded  with  his  regiment  in  boats  down  the  Ohio,  to  a 
point  about  sixty  miles  from  its  mouth  and  one  hundred  and  thirty 
from  Kaskaskia,  which  was  the  secret  object  of  the  expedition.  The 
route  lay  through  a  low  country,  intersected  by  numerous  streams  and 
ponds  of  various  dimensions,  and  covered  with  a  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion. With  his  rifle  in  his  hand  and  his  provisions  on  his  back, 
Colonel  CLARKE  marched  at  the  head  of  his  men,  and  encountered 
every  difficulty  and  shared  every  privation  with  them.  Their  pro- 
visions were  exhausted  two  days  before  they  reached  the  town  ;  and 
although  game  might  have  been  shot  in  abundance,  the  report  of  a 
rifle  might  have  warned  some  solitary  hunter  or  roving  Indian  of 
their  approach,  and  secrecy  was  essential  to  success.  They  arrived 
by  night  before  the  town  of  Kaskaskia,  and  found  the  inhabitants 
and  the  garrison  lulled  in  the  supposed  security  of  their  remote  posi- 
tion, and  so  unconscious  of  danger,  that  they  were  completely  taken 
by  surprise,  and  surrendered  without  resistance.  No  one  was  allowed 
to  escape  to  carry  the  news  to  the  villages  higher  up  the  Mississippi, 
and  in  a  few  days  all  the  settlements  were  taken.  The  inhabitants 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  the  fort  at  Kaskaskia 
became  the  head-quarters  of  Colonel  CLARKE,  and  at  the  next  session 
of  the  Virginia  legislature  the  district  was  created  into  a  county,  aiid 
called  Illinois. 

His  next  exploit  was  the  capture  of  Vincennes.  That  post  had 
been  considered  within  reach  of  an  attack  from  the  American  settle- 
ments, and  was  strongly  fortified,  and  well  garrisoned  with  British 
troops,  commanded  by  Governor  Hamilton,  and  supported  by  an 
auxiliary  Indian  force  of  about  six  hundred  warriors.  Governor 
Hamilton  was  very  soon  informed  of  CLARKE'S  success,  and  deter- 
mined to  attack  him  ;  but,  confident  in  the  superiority  of  his  force,  he 
deferred  his  operations  until  the  rivers  and  smaller  streams,  which 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 

then  overflowed  their  banks,  should  become  passable.  Colonel 
CLARKK,  in  the  mean  time,  prepared  to  attack  Vincennes,  and  des- 
patched a  party  to  reconnoitre,  while  he  strengthened  the  defences  of 
Kaskaskia,  which  he  determined  to  hold  at  all  hazards.  While  he 
was  arranging  his  plans  for  future  operations,  an  itinerant  Spanish 
merchant,  who  had  recently  visited  Yincennes,  arrived,  and  informed 
him  that  Governor  Hamilton  had  detached  his  Indians  to  the  Ohio 
and  the  frontiers  of  Kentucky ;  that  he  proposed  to  retake  Kaskaskia 
in  the  Spring,  to  cut  off  the  inhabitants  on  the  Ohio  as  far  as  Fort 
Pitt,  and  then  operate  on  the  frontiers  of  Virginia.  Colonel  CLARKE 
determined  upon  instant  operations.  He  made  the  best  preparations 
he  could  for  a  march  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  across  a  coun- 
try abounding  in  embarrassments.  Several  large  rivers  and  their 
tributary  streams,  with  broad  belts  of  inundated  land  on  each  side, 
were  to  be  crossed  without  boats  or  bridges  ;  and  the  whole  route  lay 
over  a  soil  which  afforded  no  firm  footing,  and  through  rough  and 
pathless  woods.  Without  wagons  and  without  tents,  their  ammu- 
nition and  provisions  on  their  backs  and  on  the  backs  of  a  few  pack- 
horses,  one  hundred  and  thirty  men  toiled  for  sixteen  days  through 
mud  and  water.  The  last  five  days  were  occupied  in  crossing  the 
swamps  and  drowned  lands  within  about  six  miles  of  the  fort,  wading 
sometimes  breast  deep  in  water,  and  then  forcing  their  way  through 
tangled  thickets  and  over  floating  timber.  It  was  mid  winter ;  and 
had  not  the  weather  been  unusually  mild,  all  these  brave  men  must 
have  perished.  On  the  evening  of  the  23d  of  February,  1779,  they 
reached  dry  land  within  view  of  the  fort.  The  town  immediately 
surrendered.  The  attack  on  the  fort  commenced,  and  there  was  a 
continual  fire  on  both  sides  for  eighteen  hours.  The  next  night, 
after  the  setting  of  the  moon,  the  assailants  threw  up  an  entrench- 
ment within  rifle  shot  of  the  strongest  battery,  and  poured  such 
showers  of  well-directed  balls  into  the  ports,  that  in  fifteen  minutes  two 
pieces  of  cannon  were  silenced.  The  next  evening  Governor  Hamil- 
ton surrendered  the  garrison  prisoners  of  war,  and  Colonel  CLARKE 
took  possession  of  the  fort  and  a  large  quantity  of  stores.  In  the 
height  of  the  action  an  Indian  war  party  approached  with  two  French 
prisoners.  Colonel  CLARKE  detached  a  part  of  his  men  to  give  them 
battle  on  the  commons.  Nine  Indians  were  taken,  and  the  French- 
men released.  Hearing,  soon  after,  of  a  convoy  of  goods  from  Detroit, 
lie  sent  sixty  men  in  armed  boats,  well  mounted  with  swivels,  to  in- 
tercept it.  They  met  the  convoy  forty  leagues  up  the  river,  and 
made  prize  of  the  whole,  taking  forty  prisoners  and  about  ten  thou- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

sand  pounds  worth  of  goods  and  provisions,  and  the  mail  from  Canada. 
Having-  more  prisoners  than  he  knew  what  to  do  with,  he  was  obliged 
to  discharge  a  great  part  of  them  on  parole.  Governor  Hamilton  and 
his  principal  officers  were  sent  to  Virginia,  and  Colonel  CLARKE  re- 
turned to  Kaskaskia,  leaving  a  sufficient  garrison  at  Vincennes.  Up 
to  this  time  he  had  been  left  to  the  resources  of  his  own  judgment, 
and  had  accomplished  a  great  work  with  very  small  means.  He  had 
received  neither  letters  nor  assistance  from  Virginia  in  upwards  of  a 
year.  Could  he  have  mustered  three  hundred  men  at  Vincennes,  he 
would  have  marched  to  Detroit ;  and  such  was  the  effect  on  his  little 
band,  of  a  vote  of  thanks  by  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  for  the  cap- 
ture of  the  posts  on  the  Mississippi,  that  they  would  have  attempted 
the  reduction  of  that  important  post  had  the  commander  requested  it. 
But  prudence  forbade  the  attempt,  though  from  subsequent  informa- 
tion there  was  a  strong  probability  it  would  have  been  successful. 
The  alliance  with  France  had  been  effected,  the  inhabitants  were 
principally  descendants  of  French  settlers,  the  haughty  and  tyrannical 
conduct  of  Governor  Hamilton  had  offended  them,  they  rejoiced  at  his 
captivity,  and  had  prepared  for  a  welcome  reception  of  the  Americans. 
But  before  CLARKE  heard  of  all  this,  Detroit  had  been  reinforced,  and 
the  favorable  opportunity  was  lost.  The  brilliant  exploits  of  Colonel 
CLARKE  had,  however,  deranged  the  extensive  plans  of  the  enemy, 
and  some  of  the  western  tribes  were  detached  from  the  British  inte- 
rest ;  the  limits  of  the  United  States  were  extended  to  the  Mississippi, 
where  they  remained  fixed :  and  the  current  of  population  rolled 
steadily  onward  to  the  West  without  impediment.  The  families  be- 
fore mentioned  as  having  been  left  at  the  falls  of  Ohio,  had  taken  up 
their  abode  upon  an  island  for  more  easy  defence ;  they  now  removed 
to  the  Kentucky  shore,  and  founded  Louisville,  which  soon  became  a 
place  of  importance,  and  Colonel  CLARKE  made  it  his  head-quarters. 
The  alliance  with  France  and  the  mediation  of  Spain  excited  san- 
guine hopes  in  the  country  that  peace  would  soon  follow,  and  the 
question  of  boundaries  began  to  present  itself  in  all  its  important 
bearings  upon  the  future  interests  of  the  United  States.  It  had  been 
suggested  that  possession  by  either  party  might  be  the  principle 
adopted  in  the  final  adjustment.  If  that  principle  had  been  contem- 
plated by  Great  Britain,  it  might  have  been  one  of  the  motives  which 
led  to  the  subornation  of  Indian  hostilities  on  the  borders ;  but  we 
can  hardly  believe  that  to  have  been  the  case,  for  Great  Britain  had 
not  yet  begun  to  view  the  question  as  one  which  could  possibly  arise. 
On  the  contrary,  the  Americans  had  no  doubt  that  at  some  period  not 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 

remote,  the  boundaries  must  be  defined,  and  as  the  principle  of  occu- 
pation might  be  adopted,  Virginia  determined  to  make  the  earliest  and 
best  use  of  her  means  in  anticipation.  Colonel  CLARKE  was,  there- 
fore, directed  to  select  a  commanding  position  on  the  Mississippi,  near 
the  southern  boundary  claimed  by  the  State,  and  there  establish  a 
fort  and  garrison,  and  to  advance  his  posts  towards  the  lakes,  that  they 
might  be  in  actual  possession  of,  and  give  protection  to,  the  State.  In 
compliance  with  these  orders,  he  built  Fort  Jefferson  on  the  Missis- 
sippi. This  gave  umbrage  to  the  Chickasaws,  as  it  was  erected  on 
their  hunting-ground ;  but  full  explanations  being  given  of  the  object 
of  the  measure,  and  of  its  importance  for  their  own  security,  as  well 
as  for  that  of  Virginia,  they  became  satisfied ;  and  when  the  fort  and 
garrison  were  afterwards  attacked  by  hostile  Indians,  the  Chickasaws 
came  to  their  relief,  and  drove  off  the  besieging  force.  The  place 
was  subsequently  restored  to  the  Chickasaws.  In  the  northern 
quarter  Colonel  CLARKE  proceeded  with  his  usual  judgment,  com- 
bining policy  with  enterprise,  encouraging  peace  among  the  friendly 
tribes,  and  directing  against  the  hostile  the  force  of  those  who  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  remain  inactive.  His  influence  with  the  Indians 
was  very  great.  He  assembled  four  or  five  thousand  at  Vincennes  to 
carry  out  his  favorite  project — the  capture  of  Detroit;  but,  disap- 
pointed in  the  number  of  whites  he  had  expected,  and  not  choosing  to 
rely  almost  entirely  upon  Indians,  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  ex- 
pedition. Meanwhile  the  British  commander  at  Detroit  was  not  idle. 
On  the  1st  of  June,  1780,  he  assembled  six  hundred  Canadians  and 
Indians,  for  a  secret  expedition  under  Colonel  Byrd.  On  the  22d, 
this  force  presented  itself  with  two  field-pieces  before  Ruddle's  station 
in  Kentucky,  which  was  obliged  to  capitulate :  Martin's  station  was 
captured  immediately  afterward,  and  the  inhabitants  of  both  were 
loaded  with  the  spoil  of  their  own  dwellings,  and  hurried  off  towards 
Canada.  A  prompt  retaliation  was  required;  and  when  Colonel 
CLARKE  called  on  the  militia  of  Kentucky  for  volunteers  to  accom- 
pany his  regiment  against  the  Indians,  there  was  no  delay  on  their 
part.  Having  collected  a  respectable  portion  of  the  force  of  the  coun- 
try, he  led  it  against  the  Shawanees  on  the  Great  Miami.  A  fierce 
conflict  at  Pickawa,  one  of  their  principal  towns,  terminated  in  the 
flight  of  the  Indians.  The  town  was  burnt,  and  all  the  means  of 
subsistence  of  the  inhabitants  was  destroyed.  Colonel  CLARKE  re- 
turned to  the  Ohio,  and  discharged  the  militia ;  and  the  Indians, 
being  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  hunting  for  the  support  of  their  fa- 
milies, gave  Kentucky  no  further  trouble  that  season.  In  December 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

of  the  same  year  he  was  in  Richmond,  urging  the  government  for 
means  to  execute  his  favorite  enterprise — the  reduction  of  Detroit — 
the  grand  focus  of  Indian  hostilities  from  the  Mohawk  to  the  Missis- 
sippi. His  views  were  approved  ;  but  before  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments could  be  completed,  a  British  force  from  New- York,  under  Ar- 
nold, carried  hostilities  into  the  heart  of  the  State.  Colonel  CLARKE 
took  a  temporary  command  under  Baron  Steuben,  and  participated  in 
the  active  measures  of  that  officer  against  the  marauding  traitor. 

After  several  months  had  been  spent  in  indefatigable  efforts  to 
obtain  a  force  of  two  thousand  men  for  the  enterprise  against  Detroit, 
the  several  corps  destined  for  the  service  were  designated,  and  ordered 
to  rendezvous  on  the  15th  of  March,  1781,  at  the  falls  of  Ohio,  and 
CLARK  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  Brigadier  General :  but  unexpected 
and  insuperable  difficulties  arose,  and  the  ardent  genius  of  the  com- 
mander was  confined  to  defensive  operations.  This  appears  to  us  to 
have  been  the  turning  point  in  the  fortunes  of  the  hardy  warrior. 

It  has  been  our  object,  in  the  conduct  of  this  work,  to  state  only  well- 
attested  facts ;  to  award  merited  praise-;  to  cultivate  a  proper  respect 
for  the  institutions,  and  the  men  of  genius,  and  every  variety  of  talent 
in  our  own  country ;  and  to  cherish  every  patriotic  sentiment  by  the 
influence  of  example.  It  frequently  has  been  our  pleasing  study  to 
exhibit  the  impulsion  of  individual  character  upon  the  destinies  of 
the  nation — to  connect  biography  with  history,  and  thus  far  we  have 
so  traced- the  career  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  We  have  followed 
him  over  a  broad  field,  have  marked  the  energy,  perseverance,  and 
determination  of  his  character  ;  we  have  shown  the  daring  bravery, 
the  fertile  genius,  and  the  correct  judgment  of  the  individual,  uniting 
in  the  achievement  of  exploits  of  permanent  and  national  interest  and 
honor,  and  impelling  him  onward  to  the  accomplishment  of  others  ol 
still  greater  benefit  to  his  country.  We  must  now  reverse  the  order 
of  our  reflections,  and  note  the  effect  of  disappointment  upon  the  in- 
dividual, who,  having  done  much,  is  conscious  he  can  do  more,  but 
finds  his  future  prospects  blighted  at  the  moment  of  their  brightest 
promise.  He  had  set  his  heart  upon  destroying  the  British  influence 
throughout  the  whole  north-western  territory.  Could  he  have  had 
the  means  which  he  required,  his  advancement  in  rank  would,  no 
doubt,  have  been  gratifying ;  but  without  a  General's  command,  a 
General's  commission  was  of  no  value.  Dangers  and  hardships  he 
would  have  disregarded  ;  but  with  his  small  force,  to  be  stationed  on 
the  frontier  to  repel  the  inroads  of  a  few  predatory  bands  of  Indians 
when  he  was  eager  to  carry  the  war  to  the  lakes,  was  more  than  he 


GEORGE   ROGERS    CLARKE. 

could  bear,  and  it  preyed  upon  his  spirit.  He  was  a  lion  chained, 
but  he  was  still  a  lion,  and  so  the  enemy  found  him  in  1782. 
When  the  news  of  the  disastrous  battle  of  the  Blue  Licks  reached 
General  CLARKE,  he  took  immediate  measures  to  rouse  the  country 
from  its  anguish  and  despondency,  and  to  carry  the  war  once  more 
into  the  enemy's  territory. 

In  September  of  that  year  a  thousand  mounted  riflemen  assembled 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  were  put  in  motion  by  the  General 
for  the  Indian  towns  on  the  Miami  and  Scioto.  The  expedition  was 
conducted  with  the  celerity  to  be  expected  from  the  quality  and  tem- 
per of  the  troops.  The  Indians  fled  before  them,  and  not  more  than 
twelve  were  killed  or  taken.  Five  of  their  towns  were  reduced  to 
ashes,  and  all  their  provisions  were  destroyed ;  the  effect  of  which 
was,  that  no  formidable  party  of  Indians  ever  afterward  invaded  Ken- 
tucky. 

In  the  course  of  the  ensuing  two  years,  the  Kentuckians  found 
themselves  in  circumstances  of  restraint.  Peace  had  taken  place,  but 
they  were  threatened  with  Indian  hostilities :  these,  if  brought  into 
their  own  district,  they  could  repel ;  but  experience  had  often  proved 
that  the  best  defence  against  Indians  was  to  anticipate  their  attacks, 
and  this  they  had  not  now  the  right  to  do,  as  the  territory  north-west 
of  the  Ohio  had  been  ceeded  to  the  United  States,  and  Kentucky  was 
still  a  part  of  Virginia.  The  remedy  proposed  at  this  time  was  a 
separation  from  Virginia,  the  formation  of  an  independent  State,  and 
admission  to  the  Union.  Conventions  were  called,  delegates  appointed 
to  consult  on,  and  take  measures  for,  the  future  safety  of  the  district, 
and  for  the  redress  of  real  and  imaginary  grievances.  This  was  a 
period  of  agitation  in  Kentucky,  and  agitators  were  there  who  knew, 
or  thought  they  knew,  how  to  take  advantage  of  the  popular  feelings. 
James  Wilkinson,  whose  name,  both  before  and  since,  has  been  united 
with  the  most  remarkable  intrigues  and  plots  in  the  history  of  our 
country,  was  then  a  settler  at  Lexington,  and  had  gained  an  ascen- 
dency ;  and  the  name  of  the  hitherto  most  popular  man  west  of  the 
mountains  is  not  to  be  found  among  the  delegates  on  any  occasion 
during  this  period.  Congress,  however,  had  not  forgotten  him  ;  and 
he  was  appointed,  in  March,  1784,  with  four  other  gentlemen,  to  ne- 
gotiate friendly  treaties  with  the  Indians.  Several  treaties  were  made, 
but  the  only  remarkable  incident  which  we  have  seen  recorded  is 
described  in  the  Notes  of  an  Old  Officer.  The  Indians  came  in  to 
the  treaty  at  Fort  Washington  (January,  1786,)  in  the  most  friendly 
manner,  except  the  Shawanees,  the  most  conceited  and  warlike  of  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

aborigines  ;  the  first  in  at  a  battle,  the  last  at  a  treaty.  Three  hun- 
dred of  their  finest  warriors,  set  off  in  all  their  paint  and  feathers,  filed 
into  the  council-house.  Their  number  and  demeanor,  so  unusual  at 
an  occasion  of  this  sort,  was  altogether  unexpected  and  suspicious. 
The  United  States'  stockade  mustered  70  men.  In  the  centre  of  the 
hall,  at  a  little  table,  sat  General  CLARKE — the  indefatigable  scourge 
of  these  marauders — General  Butler,  and  Mr.  Parsons.  On  the  part 
of  the  Indians,  an  old  council-sachem  and  a  war-chief  took  the  lead. 
The  latter,  a  tall,  raw-boned  fellow,  with  an  impudent  and  villain- 
ous look,  made  a  threatening  speech,  which  operated  effectually  on 
the  Indians,  who  set  up  a  whoop  at  every  pause.  He  concluded 
by  presenting  a  black  and  white  wampum,  to  signify  their  readiness 
for  peace  or  war.  General  CLARKE  retained  an  unaltered  and  care- 
less countenance  throughout,  and  with  his  cane  pushed  the  wampum 
off  the  table.  Every  Indian  started  from  his  seat  with  one  of  those 
sudden,  startling  sounds  which  express  their  indignation.  General 
CLARKE  also  arose,  and  casting  upon  the  savage  group  a  scornful 
glance,  put  his  foot  upon  the  insulted  symbol,  and  ordered  them  to 
leave  the  hall.  They  did  so,  and  all  night  they  were  heard  debating 
near  the  fort.  In  the  morning  they  came  back,  and  sued  for  peace. 

In  the  same  year,  and  but  a  few  months  after  the  ratification  of  the 
treaties,  a  new  army  was  raised,  to  march  against  the  Indians  on  the 
Wabash.  The  nations  had  made  peace,  but  the  individuals  would 
wage  war,  and  the  governments  on  either  side  of  the  Ohio  could  not 
control  their  subjects.  General  CLARKE,  at  the  head  of  a  thousand 
men,  again  entered  the  Indian  country.  Having  reached  the  vicinity 
of  Vincennes  the  troops  were  halted  nine  days,  to  give  time  for  the 
provisions  and  ammunition  and  provisions  to  come  up,  which  had 
been  sent  by  water.  The  boats  had  been  delayed  upon  the  river,  and 
when  they  arrived  half  the  provision  they  brought  was  spoiled.  A 
spirit  of  discontent  had  already  manifested  itself  in  camp,  and  now 
became  more  apparent.  The  troops  were,  however,  put  in  motion, 
and  advanced ;  but  a  rumor  was  circulated  that  the  General  had  de- 
spatched a  messenger  with  the  offer  of  peace  or  war ;  this  converted 
restlessness  into  disaffection  among  the  troops,  which  was  fomented 
by  some  of  their  officers  into  mutiny ;  and  when  within  two  days' 
march  of  the  Indian  town,  three  hundred  men  turned  their  backs  upon 
the  camp.  The  General,  who  saw  the  ruinous  consequences  of  this 
revolt,  addressed  them  in  the  most  conciliating  terms,  but  in  vain. 
The  expedition  was  abandoned;  and — "General  Wilkinson,  who 
was  at  the  falls  of  Ohio,  wrote  to  a  friend  in  Fayette,  '  that  the  sun  of 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 

General  CLARKE'S  military  glory  had  set,  never  more  to  rise.' "  The 
author  of  the  history  of  Kentucky  says, "  There  was  much  meaning  in 
this  sentence,  which  those  who  had  fathomed  Wilkinson  knew  how- 
to  interpret  and  appreciate.  Rumors  were,  indeed,  unfavorable  to 
General  CLARKE  ;  but  those  rumors  had  been  set  afloat  by  his  ene- 
mies, who  wanted  an  apology  for  their  own  conduct ;  and  who,  in  turn, 
were  accused  of  fomenting  the  insubordination  and  mutiny,  of  which 
they  availed  themselves  to  terminate  the  campaign  dishonorably.  Can- 
dor, however,  extorts  a  confession,  that  is  made  with  regret,  that 
General  CLARKE,  at  this  time,  '  was  not  the  man  he  had  been.'  A 
high  sense  of  injustice  and  neglect  had  been  left  to  corrode  his  mind, 
by  the  government  whose  territory  he  had  enlarged,  and  whose  repu- 
tation he  had  raised  to  renown.  This  had  produced  a  chagrin,  which, 
in  the  mortification  and  ennui  incident  to  the  want  of  employment, 
had  sought  extinguishment  in  the  free  use  of  ardent  spirits." 

Several  years  elapsed  before  the  name  of  General  CLARKE  again 
appeared  in  connexion  with  public  affairs.  Meanwhile,  Kentucky 
had  become  one  of  the  States  of  the  Union.  The  insolent  conduct  ot 
the  French  minister,  Genet,  is  known  to  every  reader  of  American 
history.  He  had  been  in  the  country  but  a  few  months,  when  he  set 
on  foot  a  clandestine  expedition  from  Kentucky  against  the  Spanish 
possessions  on  the  Mississippi,  and  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE  was 
furnished  with  a  commission,  as  a  Major-General  in  the  armies  ol 
France,  to  organise  and  conduct  it ;  but  before  the  project  was  put  in 
execution,  a  counter  revolution  occurred  in  France,  Genet  was  recalled, 
his  doings  disavowed,  and  CLARKE'S  commission  annulled.  Thus 
terminated  his  public  career.  In  place  of  the  observations  to  which 
we  should  be  led  by  the  varied  incidents  of  the  previous  narrative,  we 
subjoin  the  following  extract  from  Judge  Hall's  Sketches  of  the  West, 
as  furnishing  an  appropriate  commentary  on  the  instability  of  fortune 
and  the  vanity  of  ambition. 

"  When  General  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE,  the  Hannioal  of  the 
west,  captured  Kaskaskia,  he  made  his  head-quarters  at  the  house  of 

a  Mr.  Michel  A- ,  one  of  the  wealthiest  inhabitants.  Michel  lived 

in  a  capital  French  house,  enveloped  with  piazzas  and  surrounded  by 
gardens — all  in  the  most  approved  style.  He  was  a  merry,  contented, 
happy  man  ;  abounding  in  good  living  and  good  stories,  and  as  hos- 
pitable as  any  gentleman  whatever.  The  General  remained  his 
guest  some  time,  treated  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  attention, 

and  took  leave  of  Mr.  A with  a  high  respect  for  his  character 

and  a  grateful  sense  of  his  warm-hearted  hospitality.  Years  rolled 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

away  ;  the  General  had  retired  from  public  life,  and  was  dwelling  in 
a  humble  log-house  in  Indiana,  a  disappointed  man.  His  brilliant 
services  had  not  been  appreciated  by  his  country  ;  his  political  pros- 
pects had  been  blighted ;  he  was  unemployed  and  unhappy — a  proud 
man,  conscious  of  merit,  pining  away  his  life  in  obscurity.  One  day, 
as  he  strolled  along  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  he  espied  a  circle  of 
French  boatmen,  the  crew  of  a  barge,  who  were  seated  round  a  fire 
on  the  beach,  smoking  their  pipes  and  singing  their  merry  French 
songs.  One  voice  arrested  his  ear — it  was  that  of  his  old  friend 
Michel ;  he  could  not  mistake  the  blithe  tones,  and  ever  buoyant  hu- 
mor, of  his  former  host.  He  approached,  and  there  sat  Michel  in 
the  garb  of  a  boatman,  with  a  red  cap  on  his  head,  the  merriest  of 
the  circle.  They  recognised  each  other  instantly.  Michel  was  glad 
to  see  the  General,  and  invited  him  to  take  a  seat  on  the  log  beside 
him  with  as  much  unembarrassed  hospitality  as  if  he  had  still  been 
in  his  spacious  house,  surrounded  by  his  train  of  servants.  He  had 
suddenly  been  reduced  from  affluence  to  poverty — from  a  prosperous 
gentleman,  who  lived  comfortably  on  his  estate,  to  a  boatman — the 
cook,  if  we  mistake  not,  of  a  barge.  Although  a  man  of  vivacity 
and  strong  mind,  he  was  illiterate  and  unsuspecting.  The  change 
of  government  had  brought  in  new  laws,  new  customs,  and  keener 
speculators  than  the  honest  French  had  been  accustomed  to  deal  with, 
and  Michel  was  ruined.  But  he  was  as  happy  as  ever ;  while  his 
friend,  the  General,  whose  change  of  circumstances  had  not  been  so 
sudden  or  complete,  was  a  moody,  discontented  man.  Such  is  the 
diversity  of  national  character." 

General  CLARKE  never  was  married.  He  was  long  in  infirm  health, 
and  was  severely  afflicted  with  a  rheumatic  affection,  which  terminat- 
ed in  paralysis,  and  deprived  him  of  the  use  of  one  limb.  After  suf- 
fering under  this  disease  for  several  years,  it  finally  caused  his  death 
in  February  1818.  He  died  and  was  buried  at  Locust  Grove,  near 
Louisville,  Kentucky.  J.  H. 


(®-3ESniIEJ\jL 


THOMAS    SUMTER. 


THE  name  of  General  SUMTER,  of  South  Carolina,  is  conspicuous  in 
the  story  of  our  revolutionary  struggle,  but  the  details  of  his  actions 
are  scattered  through  many  books,  and  have  never,  we  believe,  been 
arranged  in  the  form  of  a  personal  memoir.  After  many  efforts  to  ob- 
tain new  matter,  and  to  render  this  sketch  more  perfect  than  we  could 
otherwise  hope  to  make  it  from  the  materials  within  our  reach,  we 
have  to  confess  our  utter  failure.  The  indifference  or  procrastination  of 
the  present  representative  of  the  family,  to  whom  we  have  applied,  has 
left  us,  up  to  the  last  moment,  without  a  line  of  information  ;  and  the 
unhappy  fate  of  the  Steamer  Home  deprived  us  of  Professor  Nott,  who 
had  engaged  to  furnish  a  biography  of  General  SUMTER  from  such  ma- 
terials as  he  could  obtain  in  South  Carolina.  We  are  therefore  thrown 
upon  our  own  resources,  and  can  only  promise  a  careful  collection  of 
all  the  material  facts  in  relation  to  the  public  life  of  the  distinguished 
soldier,  who,  as  a  partisan  officer,  scarcely  ranked  below  even  Marion 
himself. 

It  is  probable  that  the  military  talents  of  General  SUMTER  had  been 
exhibited  in  the  militia  service  of  Carolina  long  before  the  commence- 
ment of  the  revolution  ;  as  we  find  that  so  early  as  March,  1776,  he 
was  appointed  by  the  provincial  congress  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
second  regiment  of  riflemen  ;  but  he  does  not  appear  to  have  particu- 
larly distinguished  himself  until  after  the  fall  of  Charleston,  in  May, 
1780.  His  peculiar  genius  had  then  free  scope,  and  led  him  on  to  a 
series  of  actions  of  importance  to  his  country,  and  the  more  remarkable 
from  the  circumstances  under  which  he  organized  his  force,  and  the 
sudden  and  unexpected  check  given  to  the  rapid  career  of  the  con- 
querors of  General  Lincoln's  army. 

In  a  few  weeks  after  the  capitulation  of  Charleston,  the  enemy  held 
complete  possession  of  the  state,  and  on  the  4th  of  June  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  wrote  to  his  government,  "  I  may  venture  to  assert  that  there 
are  few  men  in  South  Carolina,  who  are  not  cither  our  prisoners  or 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

in  arms  with  us."  The  few  brave  spirits  who  had  not  bowed  to  the 
storm,  sought  shelter  and  the  means  of  renewing  the  contest  in  North 
Carolina.  Among  these  was  Colonel  SUMTER  ;  but  despondency  and 
inactivity  formed  no  part  of  his  character.  At  the  head  of  a  body  of 
republicans  like  himself,  driven  from  their  native  states,  who  had  cho- 
sen him  to  their  command  ;  few  in  number,  imperfectly  armed,  and  al- 
most destitute  of  ammunition,  he  returned  to  South  Carolina,  to  op- 
pose himself  to  a  veteran  and  victorious  army. 

On  the  12th  of  July  he  surprised  and  cut  to  pieces  a  superior  party 
of  the  enemy,  composed  of  thirty-five  dragoons  of  the  legion,  twenty 
mounted  infantry,  and  a  large  body  of  loyalists.  The  commander  of  the 
party,  Captain  Huck,  a  miscreant  noted  for  his  cruelty  and  profanity, 
was  killed  ;  and  of  his  whole  party  but  about  twenty  made  their  escape. 

Among  those  who  served  under  Col.  SUMTER,  was  Colonel  Neale. 
This  gentleman,  an  ardent  Whig,  had  commanded  a  regiment  of  mili- 
tia in  S.  Carolina,  and  had  fled  from  the  state  after  the  fall  of  Charles- 
ton. When  Lord  Cornwallis,  contrary  alike  to  policy  and  justice,  de- 
termined to  admit  no  neutrality  in  the  contest,  but  that  all  who  did 
not  unite  themselves  to  the  British  force  should  be  proceeded  against 
as  enemies,  Col.  Neale's  regiment  was  enrolled  in  the  royal  service. 
Hearing  of  the  approach  of  SUMTER,  together  with  their  old  command- 
er, they  hastened  to  join  him.  His  force  was  still  farther  increased  by 
the  junction  of  small  parties  of  Whigs  from  the  Waxsaw  settlement,  who 
had  been  exasperated  by  the  treatment  of  the  British  authorities.  Col. 
SUMTER,  now  promoted  by  Governor  Rutledge  to  the  rank  of  briga- 
dier-general in  the  state  militia,  found  himself  in  a  situation  to  under- 
take some  more  considerable  enterprise. 

On  the  30th  of  July  he  passed  Broad  river  at  Blair's  ford,  with  about 
six  hundred  men,  and  advanced  upon  Rocky  Mount.  The  defences 
of  the  post  consisted  of  two  log-houses  and  a  loop-holed  building,  sur- 
rounded by  a  ditch  and  an  abattis — the  whole  placed  upon  a  command- 
ing eminence,  and  encircled  by  an  open  wood.  The  garrison  was 
composed  of  the  New- York  volunteers  and  a  party  of  royalist  militia, 
and  was  commanded  by  Col.  Turnbull.  Having  no  artillery,  Gen. 
SUMTER  sheltered  the  greater  part  of  his  men  among  the  trees  and 
rocks,  with  directions  to  keep  up  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  garrison  ;  while 
at  the  head  of  a  picked  party,  he  himself  proceeded  to  the  assault. 
After  being  twice  repulsed,  he  still  persevered,  and  succeeded  in  pene- 
trating within  the  abattis  ;  but  the  strength  of  the  post  was  too  great  to 
admit  of  its  being  taken  without  artillery,  and  he  was  finally  compelled 
to  retire. 


THOMAS  SUMTER. 

Not  discouraged  by  his  want  of  success,  after  an  interval  of  eight 
days  SUMTER  fell  upon  Hanging  Rock,  another  of  the  chain  of  posts 
by  which  the  British  kept  up  their  commuuication  with  the  lower 
country.  Hanging  Rock  was  garrisoned  by  five  hundred  men,  con- 
sisting of  one  hundred  and  sixty  infantry  of  Tarleton's  legion,  a  part 
of  Col.  Brown's  regiment,  and  Bryan's  North  Carolina  corps.  Through 
an  error  of  the  guides,  the  attack  was  first  directed  against  Bryan's  roy- 
alists, who,  being  surprised,  gave  way  in  all  directions.  Tarleton's 
infantry  were  next  forced  to  fall  back  on  Brown's  detachment;  this, 
though  fighting  with  great  bravery,  was  in  its  turn  compelled  to  give 
ground.  The  British  troops  retreating,  formed  themselves  into  a  hol- 
low square  in  the  centre  of  their  position.  In  the  mean  time  the  ranks 
of  the  militia  had  become  disordered  ;  many  had  been  attracted  by  the 
plunder  of  the  camp,  and  others  had  indulged  too  freely  in  the  liquor 
which  had  been  found  in  it.  SUMTER,  with  the  few  troops  that  he 
could  bring  into  array,  made  a  determined  advance  upon  the  new  po- 
sition of  the  enemy  ;  but  the  disorder  had  spread  too  deeply,  and  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  men  could  not  be  assembled  to  make  an  impression 
on  it.  A  retreat,  therefore,  was  determined  on.  This  was  accomplished 
leisurely,  and  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  who  had  suffered  too  severely 
to  offer  any  interruption.  When  Gen.  SUMTER  began  the  action,  his 
men  had  but  ten  rounds  of  ball  each,  and  before  its  termination  they 
were  amply  supplied  from  the  stores  of  the  British  and  Tories. 

From  the  inattention  of  the  militia  to  regular  returns  of  the  killed 
and  wounded,  the  loss  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  could  not  be 
ascertained  ;  many  of  the  wounded  being  carried  home  immediately 
from  the  field  of  battle.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  considerably  exceeded 
our  own.  Of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men  of  Tarleton's  legion,  they 
acknowledge  sixty-two  to  have  been  killed  and  wounded  ;  and  their 
other  corps  suffered  severely.  Immediately  after  the  action  Gen.  SUM- 
TER crossed  the  Catawba.  His  reputation  for  enterprise  and  ability 
was  now  established.  His  success  in  the  two  latter  instances  would 
have  been  more  decided,  had  it  not  been  for  his  want  of  artillery, 
and  the  undisciplined  nature  of  his  troops.  As  it  was,  it  raised  the 
drooping  spirits  of  the  Whigs,  and  gave  his  men  confidence  in  the  skill 
and  courage  of  their  leader. 

In  the  mean  time  Gen.  Gates  had  entered  South  Carolina,  and 
shortly  afterwards  his  army  took  up  a  position  at  Rugely's  Mills,  not 
far  from  Gen.  SUMTER'S  encampment.  Receiving  information  that  a 
detachment  of  the  enemy  was  on  its  march  from  Ninety-six  to  Camden, 
with  stores  for  the  main  army,  SUMTER  requested  a  reinforcement 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

from  Gen.  Gates  to  enable  him  to  intercept  it.  Col.  Woolford,  of  the 
Maryland  line,  with  one  hundred  continentals,  two  pieces  of  camion, 
and  three  hundred  militia,  were  despatched  to  his  assistance.  Thus 
reinforced,  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  August  SUMTER  appeared 
on  the.  west  bank  of  the  Wateree,  fell  upon  the  convoy  which  was 
the  object  of  the  expedition,  and  succeeded  in  taking  forty-four 
wagon  loads  of  stores  and  clothing,  together  with  a  number  of  prison- 
ers. On  the  evening  of  the  17th,  SUMTER,  who  was  on  his  retreat  up 
the  river,  received  intelligence  of  the  unfortunate  battle  of  Camden, 
and  of  the  total  dispersion  of  the  American  army.  Unhappily,  his 
movement  up  the  country  had  brought  him  into  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  the  British  army.  Encumbered  as  he  was  with  prisoners 
and  baggage,  he  immediately  continued  his  retreat,  and  by  the  celerity 
of  his  movement,  avoided  a  corps  under  the  command  of  Col.  Turnbull, 
which  Lord  Cornwallis  had  despatched  against  him.  At  noon  on  the 
18th  of  August,  he  encamped  his  men  on  the  north  side  of  Fishing  Creek, 
a  small  stream  that  falls  into  the  Catawba  about  forty  miles  above 
Camden.  Here  the  arms  were  stacked,  videttes  were  posted  ;  and  the 
wearied  troops,  overcome  by  fatigue,  enjoyed  an  interval  of  repose, 
rendered  more  agreeable  by  their  previous  exertions. 

The  day  after  the  battle  of  Camden,  Lord  Cornwallis,  fearing  lest 
SUMTER  might  escape  Col.  Turnbull,  had  directed  Col.  Tarleton,  with 
his  legion  and  some  light  infantry,  to  move  likewise  in  pursuit.  After 
a  rapid  march,  on  the  17th,  Col.  Tarleton  finding  many  of  his  men  too 
fatigued  to  continue  the  pursuit,  selected  one  hundred  of  the  dra- 
goons, together  with  about  sixty  of  the  light  infantry,  and  pressed 
forward  without  intermission.  Passing  the  Catawba  at  Rocky-Ford, 
he  got  into  the  rear  of  SUMTER,  who  was  utterly  unapprized  of  his  ap- 
proach. Two  videttes,  who  fired  upon  his  advance,  being  killed 
without  the  alarm  being  taken,  Tarleton  fell  upon  the  camp,  seized 
the  arms  of  the  Americans,  and  instantly  charged  them  while  confus- 
ed, unprepared,  and  unarmed.  A  fearful  slaughter  followed.  A  few 
of  the  regulars  taking  post  behind  the  wagons,  offered  some  resistance  ; 
but  it  was  soon  suppressed,  and  the  rout  was  universal.  One  hundred 
and  fifty  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  over  three  hundred  were  made 
prisoners  ;  while  the  stores  and  clothing  previously  captured,  again 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  SUMTER  himself  fortunately  es- 
caped unhurt.  By  this  terrible  blow,  South  Carolina  was  again  left 
at  the  mercy  of  the  conqueror  ;  the  few  men  under  Marion  constitut- 
ing the  sole  force  embodied  for  her  protection. 

Immediately  on  his  defeat,  SUMTER  retired  to  the  upper  country, 


THOMAS  SUMTER. 

where  he  was  soon  joined  by  a  few  of  his  men  who  had  escaped  the 
slaughter  of  the  18th.  Volunteers  nocked  to  his  standard,  and  he  was 
again  in  a  condition  to  harass  the  enemy. 

He  ranged  the  district  about  the  Enoree,  Broad,  and  Tiger  Rivers. 
His  men  being  all  mounted,  were  enabled  to  move  about  the  country 
with  speed  and  facility.  When  they  approached  an  enemy,  the  horses 
were  tied  and  left  in  charge  of  a  few  of  the  party ;  so  that  in  defeat 
they  afforded  a  safe  retreat,  in  victory  the  means  of  pursuit. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  fall,  SUMTER  was  at  the  head  of  such  a  force 
as  to  attract  towards  him  the  attention  of  Lord  Cornwallis ;  and  Major 
Wemyss,  with  the  sixty-third  regiment  and  about  forty  of  the  legion 
cavalry,  was  despatched  in  pursuit  of  him.  The  former  success  of 
Tarleton  inspired  Wemyss  with  the  hope  of  likewise  surprising  his  ene- 
my. Pushing  forward  with  great  celerity  on  the  night  of  the  8th  No- 
vember,he  reached  the  encampmentof  SUMTER  on  the  bankof  the  Broad 
River.  Fearing  if  he  delayed  till  morning,  SUMTER  might  be  advised  of 
his  proximity,  he  determined  upon  an  immediate  attack.  At  one  o'clock 
in  the  morning  his  troops  advanced  to  the  assault.  Col.  Wemyss,  who 
was  at  the  head  of  his  men,  fell  by  the  fire  of  the  picket,  which  was 
immediately  driven  in.  The  British  troops  pushed  forward  ;  but  they 
found  the  Americans  in  arms,  and  ready  to  receive  them.  Unprepared 
to  meet  so  firm  a  resistance,  and  discouraged  by  the  fall  of  their  leader, 
the  British  forces  soon  retreated  with  precipitation,  leaving  their  com- 
mander and  twenty  men  upon  the  ground.  In  the  morning  Col.  We- 
myss was  discovered,  badly  wounded.  He  had  been  active  in  prosecut- 
ing the  severe  measures  of  Lord  Cornwallis  against  those  Whigs,  who, 
contrary  to  a  solemn  compact,  being  called  upon  to  join  the  British 
forces,  had  preferred  the  service  of  their  countrymen.  Some  of  the 
Whigs  had  been  hanged  by  his  orders,  and  he  in  person  had  attended 
their  execution.  In  his  pocket  was  found  a  list  of  the  houses  which 
he  had  burned.  The  paper  being  handed  to  General  SUMTER,  he  im- 
mediately threw  it  into  the  fire,  and  ordered  every  attention  to  be  paid 
to  the  prisoner.  Col.  Wemyss  was  shortly  after  permitted  to  go  to 
Charleston  on  parole. 

After  the  action,  Gen.  SUMTER  crossed  the  Broad  River,  and  effect- 
ing a  junction  with  Cols.  Clarke  and  Banner,  who  commanded  parties 
of  militia  from  the  mountains,  concerted  with  them  measures  for  the 
surprise  of  Ninety-six.  Lord  Cornwallis,  suspecting  the  designs  of  the 
American  commander,  hastily  recalled  Col.  Tarleton,  who  at  that  time 
was  absent  on  an  expedition  against  Marion,  directing  him  to  join  his 
forces  to  the  sixty-third  regiment,  which  had  not  yet  returned  from  its 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

fruitless  attack,  and  bring  SUMTER  to  action.  Col.  Tarleton  pursued 
his  foe  with  the  impetuosity  by  which  he  was  characterized.  SUM- 
TER, receiving  timely  information  of  his  approach,  and  not  being  strong 
enough  to  risk  an  engagement,  retreated.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
20th  of  Nov.  he  reached  Blackstock's  Hill,  an  eminence  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Tiger  River.  Here  he  received  information  of  the  rapid 
approach  of  Col.  Tarleton,  who,  apprehensive  lest  his  prey  should  es- 
cape, had  left  behind  him  a  majority  of  his  troops,  and  was  advancing 
at  the  head  only  of  the  legion  cavalry  and  some  mounted  infantry  of  the 
sixty-third  regiment ;  the  whole  amounting  to  about  four  hundred  men. 
Confiding  in  the  strength  of  his  ground,  Gen.  SUMTER  determined  to 
await  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  and  offer  him  battle.  His  centre 
was  posted  in  some  log  buildings  occupying  the  middle  of  the  hill ; 
his  right  was  placed  behind  some  rails,  which  were  flanked  by  an  in- 
accessible mountain  ;  and  his  left  was  distributed  in  a  piece  of  rugged 
ground  covered  by  a  bend  of  the  river.  A  small  brook  ran  in  front  of 
the  whole,  and  the  road  to  the  ford  passed  directly  through  the  centre 
of  the  position.  On  coming  in  view  of  the  American  position.  Col. 
Tarleton  was  struck  with  its  strength,  and  halting  his  men  on  an  op- 
posite eminence,  determined  to  await  the  approach  of  the  remainder  of 
his  force.  A  portion  of  his  men  were  accordingly  dismounted,  until  the 
arrival  of  his  infantry  should  enable  him  to  commence  the  battle. 
Observing  the  movement,  SUMTER  determined  to  bring  on  an  imme- 
diate action.  Accordingly  a  number  of  his  militia  were  ordered  to  ad- 
vance upon  the  British.  A  sharp  conflict  ensued  ;  but  the  sixty-third 
charging  with  fixed  bayonets,  the  militia  were  driven  back.  Pursuing 
their  advantage  too  far,  the  sixty-third  received  a  murderous  fire  from 
the  buildings  in  which  the  American  centre  was  posted,  and  were 
thrown  into  confusion.  Col.  Tarleton,  seeing  the  dangerous  situation 
in  which  the  regiment  was  placed,  attempted,  by  a  vigorous  charge  up 
hill  with  his  cavalry,  to  relieve  them  ;  but  his  men,  thinned  by  the  fire  of 
the  Americans,  were  forced  to  retire  in  disorder.  A  second  attempt 
on  the  American  left  was  attended  with  no  better  success.  All  his  ef- 
forts proving  ineffectual,  Tarleton  was  forced  to  retreat  with  precipita- 
tion, leaving  his  wounded  upon  the  field. 

On  this  occasion  the  American  loss  amounted  to  but  three  men 
killed  and  four  wounded.  The  British,  according  to  their  own  accounts, 
lost  more  than  fifty  men  ;  while  the  Americans,  who  from  remaining 
masters  of  the  field,  had  every  opportunity  of  information,  make  it 
amount  to  ninety-two  men  killed  and  one  hundred  wounded.  Un- 
fortunately, among  the  small  number  wounded  on  the  American  side, 


THOMAS  SUMTER. 

was  General  SUMTER,  who  received  a  musket  ball  in  his  breast  near 
the  right  shoulder. 

After  burying  the  dead,  and  supplying  the  wounded  of  the  enemy  with 
every  comfort  in  his  power,  Gen.  SUMTER  continued  his  retreat.  Having 
reached  a  place  of  safety,  the  greater  part  of  his  followers  dispersed,  and 
he  himself,  guarded  by  a  few  of  his  faithful  soldiers,  was  borne  into 
North  Carolina,  there  to  wait  till  the  healing  of  his  wound  should  enable 
him  to  resume  his  active  duties  in  the  field.  Shortly  after  this,  Congress 
passed  a  vote  directing  their  thanks  to  be  presented  to  Gen.  SUMTER 
and  the  troops  under  his  command  for  their  patriotism,  bravery,  and 
military  conduct ;  at  the  same  time  particularizing  the  affair  at  Hanging 
Rock,  the  defeat  of  Major  Wemyss,  and  the  repulse  of  Col.  Tarleton 
at  Blackstocks. 

When  Col.  Tarleton  wrote  to  Cornwallis  his  version  of  the  affair, 
Corn \vallis  in  his  answer  said,  "  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  hear  that  SUM- 
TER is  in  a  condition  to  give  us  no  further  trouble  ;  he  certainly  has 
been  our  greatest  plague  in  this  country."  SUMTER  was  confined  by 
his  wound  for  several  months,  but  in  the  early  part  of  Feb.  1781, 
though  still  feeble,  he  was  sufficiently  recovered  again  to  take  the  field. 

General  Greene  was  at  that  time  retreating  before  Lord  Cornwallis, 
while  South  Carolina  was  again  left  without  a  continental  army. 
Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  an  important  object  to  alarm  the 
enemy  for  the  safety  of  the  posts  which  he  had  left  behind  him  in  the 
rapid  pursuit  of  Greene.  Assembling  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
North  Carolina  militia,  and  being  joined  by  Col.  Wade  Hampton  with 
a  small  reinforcement,  SUMTER  made  a  rapid  movement  upon  Fort 
Granby,  a  post  of  the  enemy  situated  on  the  south  banks  of  the  Conga- 
ree.  Piles  of  rails  were  constructed  so  as  to  enable  the  marksmen  to 
fire  down  upon  the  enemy,  who  were  destitute  of  artillery.  The  at- 
tack was  pressed  so  vigorously,  that  the  British  were  on  the  point  of 
yielding,  when  the  appearance  of  Lord  Rawdon  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  river,  at  the  head  of  a  superior  force,  compelled  SUMTER  to  re- 
treat. Retiring  southward  on  the  second  day  after  the  affair  at  Gran- 
by, he  surprised  and  captured  a  detachment  of  fifty  British  troops,  and 
a  convoy  of  provisions  and  clothing  which  they  were  escorting.  Un- 
fortunately, the  convoy,  which  was  of  the  highest  importance  to  the 
American  army,  being  placed  in  boats  and  sent  down  the  river,  was  re- 
taken by  the  British  posted  at  Fort  Watson.  Swimming  his  horses  across 
the  Santee,  and  transporting  his  men  in  canoes,  SUMTER  attempted  to 
carry  the  post  and  recover  the  lost  booty  ;  but  being  unprovided  with 
artillery,  the  attempt  proved  vain,  and  the  Americans  were  repulsed. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

After  sheltering  his  men  a  few  days  in  the  swamps  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Santee,  he  moved  towards  the  north-eastern  part  of  the  state, 
and  encamped  in  the  friendly  neighborhood  of  Charlotte. 

This  expedition  annoyed  and  distressed  the  enemy,  by  breaking  up 
the  communications  between  his  posts,  kept  up  the  spirits  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  furnished  Gen.  SUMTER  with  a  mass  of  information  concern- 
ing the  force  and  movements  of  the  enemy.  This  last  was  imme- 
diately dispatched  to  Gen.  Greene  through  Col.  Hampton. 

Gen.  SUMTER'S  services  had  hitherto  been  performed  altogether  by 
means  of  militia,  a  species  of  force,  in  the  then  state  of  the  country, 
constantly  fluctuating  in  numbers,  joining  and  leaving  the  camp  with 
almost  equal  facility,  and  little  to  be  depended  on  in  expeditions  which 
required  time.  He  now  attempted  to  enlist  a  body  of  men  in  the 
service  of  the  state  for  ten  months.  While  thus  engaged,  he  received 
a  letter  from  Gen.  Greene,  announcing  the  intention  of  the  latter  to 
permit  Lord  Cornwallis  to  pursue  his  march  north  without  interrup- 
tion from  him,  while  he  himself  should  again  enter  South  Carolina, 
and  attempt  to  drive  the  enemy  from  the  southern  states.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  plan,  Gen.  SUMTER  was  directed  to  procure  provisions  for 
the  main  army,  to  obtain  all  the  information  in  his  power,  and  to  break 
up,  as  much  as  possible,  the  communications  between  the  enemy's 
posts.  SUMTER,  in  pursuance  of  these  instructions,  took  the  field  on 
the  20th  of  April,  with  the  men  he  had  been  able  to  raise.  Several 
parties  of  the  royalist  militia  were  dispersed,  and  the  country  between 
the  Broad,  Saluda,  and  Wateree  rivers  completely  swept.  The  im- 
portance of  SUMTER'S  services  at  this  period  is  shown  by  the  frequen- 
cy of  his  communications  with  Gen.  Greene.  Besides  furnishing  him 
with  all  the  provisions  he  could  collect,  sometimes  in  the  course  of  a 
day  several  letters  containing  information  would  be  sent  to  the  main 
army.  On  the  llth  of  May  he  made  a  sudden  attack  on  the  post 
at  Orangeburg.  and  took  near  one  hundred  prisoners  with  a  large 
supply  of  stores  and  provisions.  About  this  time  some  difficulty  oc- 
curring between  Col.  Lee  and  himself,  SUMTER  sent  a  remonstrance 
to  Gen.  Greene,  enclosing  his  commission ;  the  next  day  it  was  returned 
with  many  expressions  of  esteem,  and  SUMTER  sacrificed  his  private 
discontent  to  the  service  of  his  country. 

In  July,  when  General  Greene,  on  account  of  the  ill-health  prevalent 
in  the  army,  retired  to  the  high  hills  of  Santee  for  the  benefit  of  re- 
pose and  purer  atmosphere,  he  despatched  Gen.  SUMTER,  having 
under  him  the  corps  of  Marion  and  Lee,  to  break  up  the  enemy's  posts 
in  the  vicinity  of  Charleston,  and  to  dislodge  the  nineteenth  regiment 


THOMAS  SUMTER. 

stationed  at  Monk's  Corner.  The  country  was  swept  to  the  gates  of 
Charleston,  the  fort  at  Dorchester  broken  up,  and  a  large  party  of 
mounted  refugees  were  dispersed  by  Col.  Wade  Hampton,  who  com- 
manded SUMTER'S  cavalry.  The  main  object  of  the  expedition,  which 
was  the  nineteenth  regiment,  then  posted  at  Monk's  Corner,  failed ; 
Col.  Coates  retreating  during  the  night  over  a  bridge  which  had  been 
deserted  by  the  militia  placed  to  guard  it.  On  the  following  day  SUM- 
TER came  up  with  the  enemy,  who  had  taken  post  in  the  house  and 
the  out-houses  of  Captain  Shubrick  ;  but  being  unprovided  with  artil- 
lery, after  an  ineffectual  effort  to  dislodge  them,  he  was  obliged  to  give 
up  the  attempt. 

After  the  expedition  to  Dorchester,  SUMTER  was  compelled  to  retire 
to  the  upper  country  from  indisposition  ;  nor  was  he  enabled  again  to 
take  the  field  before  the  enemy  were  confined  to  the  walls  of  Charles- 
ton. After  the  peace,  he  was  for  a  long  time  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can congress — first  as  a  representative  and  afterwards  as  a  senator.  He 
lived  respected  alike  for  his  talents  and  services,  and  died  on  the  1st 
of  June,  1832,  at  his  residence  near  the  Bradford  Springs,  South  Ca- 
rolina, in  the  98th  year  of  his  age. 

SUMTER  was  tall  and  robust,  with  a  bold  and  open  countenance,  ex- 
pressive at  once  of  energy  and  decision.  As  a  partisan  officer,  his  cha- 
racter was  marked  by  courage,  enterprize,  and  determination.  "  Great- 
ly superior  to  General  Marion  in  personal  strength,  and  trusting  less 
to  stratagem  and  skill,  he  placed  his  fortune  much  more  exclusively 
on  his  daring  resolution  and  the  execution  of  his  sword.  Warm  in 
temperament  and  devoted  to  his  country,  whatever  could  contribute  to 
rescue  her  from  the  invader  and  establish  her  independence,  became  an 
object  of  his  ardent  affection.  He  was  also  enamoured  of  brilliant 
achievement  for  its  own  sake.  To  victory,  and  the  glory  attending  it, 
he  would  cut  his  way  through  every  danger,  regardless  alike  of  his 
own  blood  and  that  of  the  enemy."  At  the  head  of  a  force  inferior 
in  equipment  and  discipline,  and  attached  to  their  commander  only 
by  their  confidence  in  his  prowess  and  ability,  he  constantly  kept 
the  field  against  a  veteran  and  superior  enemy,  commonly  suc- 
cessful, and  in  defeat  ever  able  to  rally  his  men  and  renew  the  con- 
test. On  one  unfortunate  occasion  he  is  perhaps  justly  chargeable 
with  a  negligence  which  led  to  the  destruction  of  his  party  ;  but,  in- 
structed by  experience,  he  was  never  again  surprised,  and  both  We- 
myss  and  Tarleton  felt  the  effect  of  his  vigilance.  In  addition  to 
his  other  qualities,  SUMTER  was  invariably  humane  in  a  contest  where 
the  conduct  of  both  parties  had  afforded  a  good  excuse  for  retaliatory 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

cruelty.  His  conduct  toward  Wemyss  and  the  wounded  of  Tarleton's 
legion  will  long  remain  evidence  of  a  kindliness  of  nature  not 
always  to  be  found  in  the  excited  breast  of  the  partisan. 

B.  W.  M'C. 


MORDECAI     GIST. 


IT  is  difficult,  perhaps  impossible,  for  us  now  to  appreciate  the  hazards, 
privations,  and  sacrifices — personal  and  pecuniary — which  were  en- 
countered by  the  patriots  who  achieved  our  national  independence  ; 
nor  can  we  adequately  express  the  gratitude  we  owe  them,  for  the 
great  and  various  privileges  secured  to  us  by  their  exertions.  Al- 
though the  honors  and  distinctions  which  crown  a  glorious  enterprise, 
successfully  conducted,  were  theirs,  it  is,  nevertheless,  our  duty,  and 
should  be  our  pride,  to  reverence  and  honor  the  memory  of  even  the 
humblest  of  them.  Among  the  number  who  are  thus  entitled  to 
claim  our  respect  and  gratitude,  was  Brigadier  General  MORDECAI 
GIST,  a  native  of  Baltimore  county,  Maryland. 

He  was  born  in  1743,  and  was  of  English  descent.  His  father  was 
Captain  Thomas  Gist ;  his  mother  was  Susan,  daughter  of  John 
Cockey,  Esq.  The  ancestors  of  both  families  were  among  the  earliest 
and  most  respectable  emigrants  from  England,  who  established  them- 
selves in  Maryland.  He  obtained  a  sound  and  useful  education  at  the 
private  seminary  of  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  who  had  charge  of  a 
parish  in  his  father's  neighborhood.  After  attaining  the  necessary  age, 
he  was  placed  in  Baltimore,  to  prepare  him  for  commercial  pursuits, 
in  which  he  afterward  embarked ;  and  in  which  he  continued,  till  the 
increasing  difficulties  with  the  mother  country  gave  a  new  direction 
to  his  ambition. 

Foreseeing  the  crisis  that  was  approaching,  the  young  men  of  Bal- 
timore were  not  tardy  in  preparing  to  meet  it.  In  January,  1775,  they 
formed  themselves  into  a  volunteer  association,  under  the  name  of  the 
"  Baltimore  Independent  Company,"  and  elected  GIST  their  captain : 
who,  animated  by  the  same  spirit  of  patriotism  that  governed  him 
throughout  the  ensuing  contest,  was,  even  then,  conspicuous  for  his 
zeal  and  activity.  This  company,  the  first  ever  raised  in  Maryland 
for  the  defence  of  our  violated  rights,  was  composed  of  young  men  of 


NATIONAL   PORTRAITS. 

the  very  first  respectability,  and  is  still  remembered  by  a  few  for  its 
fine  military  appearance,  and  splendid  uniform  of  scarlet  and  buff. 

In  January,  1776,  GIST  was  appointed  Major  of  a  battalion  of  regu- 
lar troops  raised  in  Maryland.  Having  joined  the  army  with  his 
corps,  he  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and,  in  consequence 
of  the  absence  of  the  colonel  and  lieutenant-colonel,  commanded  the 
regiment  to  which  he  belonged.  In  1777  he  was  advanced  to  the 
rank  of  colonel ;  and,  with  Smallwood,  was  ordered  by  Washington 
to  take  command  of  the  militia  which  Congress  called  on  the  State  of 
Maryland  to  furnish,  to  assist  in  repelling  the  invasion  of  the  enemy 
by  the  way  of  the  Chesapeake.  In  obedience  to  orders,  he  repaired  to 
the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland,  to  execute  the  duty  assigned  him  of 
organizing  this  force,  and  of  harassing  the  enemy's  right  flank  in  any 
march  they  might  attempt  towards  Philadelphia,  or  into  the  country. 
After  complying  with  these  orders,  he  joined  the  main  army  near  the 
Brandywine,  with  his  troops,  in  effecting  which,  he  narrowly  escaped 
being  made  a  prisoner,  his  horse  having  received  two  bullets  in  forc- 
ing his  way  through  a  detachment  of  the  enemy.  At  Germantown, 
and  in  the  various  operations  that  followed,  as  well  as  throughout  the 
two  succeeding  campaigns,  he  bore  his  part  with  zeal  and  fidelity  ; 
having  been,  in  the  language  of  a  venerable  and  distinguished  com- 
patriot* who  yet  survives  him,  "  one  of  those  officers  who  were  always 
at  their  posts." 

In  January,  1779,  Congress  raised  him  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier 
General,  and  conferred  on  him  the  command  of  the  second  brigade  of 
the  Maryland  line.  In  the  following  year  he  was  transferred  with  his 
brigade  to  the  south,  which  became  the  field  of  his  subsequent  career, 
and  where  he  participated  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  defeat  and  victory 
— retreat  and  pursuit — which  characterised  the  eventful  campaigns 
that  followed. 

In  the  sanguinary  and  disastrous  battle  of  Camden,  General  GIST 
behaved  with  distinguished  gallantry.  Having  been  posted  with  his 
brigade  on  the  right,  he,  in  conjunction  with  the  other  Maryland  bri- 
gade, the  Delaware  regiment,  and  Dixon's  regiment  of  North  Caro- 
linians, gloriously  maintained  the  unequal  conflict,  after  the  left  wing 
and  centre  had  been  entirely  broken  and  dispersed ;  thus,  even  in 
defeat,  nobly  aiding  in  sustaining  the  honor  of  his  country's  arms. 
"  De  Kalb  and  GIST,"  says  the  gallant  Lee,  in  his  Memoirs  of  the 


General  Samuel  Smith. 

* 


MORDECAI  GIST. 

Wax  in  the  Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,  «  yet  held  the 
enemy  on  our  right  in  suspense.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Howard,  at  the 
head  of  Williams'  regiment,  drove  the  corps  in  front  out  of  line. 
Rawdon  could  not  bring  the  brigade  of  GIST  to  recede ; — bold  was  the 
pressure  of  the  foe — firm  as  a  rock  the  resistance  of  GIST."  In  this 
engagement  the  heroic  Baron  De  Kalb  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  the 
last  act  of  his  life  was  to  dictate  to  his  aid-de-camp  the  expression  of 
his  thanks  to  Generals  GIST  and  Smallwood,  and  the  troops  under 
their  command,  for  the  valor  displayed  by  them  in  this  battle.  Con- 
gress also  testified  their  approbation,  by  passing  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
GIST  and  Smallwood,  and  their  respective  corps,  "  for  their  bravery 
arid  good  conduct"  at  Camden.  As  GIST  was  retiring  from  the  field, 
being  among  the  last  to  do  so,  in  superintending  the  retreat  of  his 
corps,  a  British  dragoon,  rushing  on  in  pursuit,  galloped  up  to  him 
with  uplifted  sword  to  cut  him  down ;  his  approach,  however,  having 
been  perceived,  GIST  wheeled  round  to  meet  the  assault  and  defend 
himself,  when,  at  the  moment,  a  sergeant  of  his  brigade,  who  was  near, 
levelled  his  musket,  fired  and  killed  the  dragoon,  then  seized  his 
horse,  mounted,  and  made  good  his  retreat. 

General  Greene  was  soon  afterward  ordered  to  the  South,  and  sig- 
nalised his  command  by  a  series  of  masterly  movements,  and  by  va- 
rious engagements,  in  which  the  subject  of  this  memoir  shared,  but 
which  have  been  detailed  in  preceding  memoirs,  and  need  not  now 
be  recapitulated,  as  they  are  familiar  to  every  reader.  At  the  surren- 
der of  Cornwallis  General  GIST  was  present,  and  is  introduced  by 
Colonel  Trumbull  in  his  painting  representing  that  memorable  event, 
now  in  the  Rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  between  Generals  Clinton  and 
Wayne. 

In  1782  General  Greene  remodelled  the  "  Light  Corps"  of  the 
Southern  army,  and  selected  General  GIST  to  command  it.  Colonel 
Baylor  was  placed  under  him  in  command  of  the  cavalry,  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Laurens,  of- the  infantry.  The  British  general  having 
sent  out  a  detachment  of  light  infantry,  attended  by  armed  vessels 
along  the  interior  navigation  near  Charleston,  General  Greene  de- 
spatched General  GIST  with  his  corps  in  pursuit.  After  a  long  and 
rapid  march,  he  reached  the  enemy  on  the  Combabee,  and  after  an 
engagement,  in  which  the  gallant  Laurens  was  killed,  succeeded  in 
driving  back  the  enemy,  and  in  capturing  one  of  their  vessels.  This 
we  believe  was  the  last  conflict  that  occurred  in  that  long  but  glorious 
struggle ;  hostilities  having  soon  afterward  ceased. 

Peace  having  been  proclaimed,  and  with  it  the  possession  of  all 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

those  rights  for  which  he  had  so  long  contended,  General  GIST  was 
allowed  at  last  to  seek  that  repose  which  services  so  arduous  and  pro- 
tracted must  have  rendered  peculiarly  grateful.  He,  accordingly,  re- 
tired to  his  plantation  near  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where,  in  the 
possession  of  all  the  enjoyments  that  opulence  and  the  respect  of  his 
fellow-citizens  could  confer,  he  resided  till  the  period  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1792,  in  the  city  of  Charleston. 

General  GIST  was  thrice  married ;  first  to  Miss  Carnan  of  Balti- 
more county,  who  died  soon  afterward  ;  next  to  Miss  Sterett  of  Balti- 
more, who  only  lived  long  enough  to  give  birth  to  a  son  ;  and  lastly 
to  Mrs.  Cattell  of  South  Carolina,  who  also  bore  him  a  son.  In  as- 
signing names  to  his  two  sons,  he  gave  a  curious  and  unique,  but 
emphatic  evidence  of  his  attachment  to  the  cause  in  which  he  had 
embarked,  by  calling  the  first,  who  was  born  during  the  gloomiest 
period  of  the  Revolution,  Independent,  and  the  other,  States. 

The  personal  appearance  of  General  GIST  was  particularly  striking, 
having  been  six  feet  in  height,  and  finely  proportioned,  with  a  muscular 
developement  indicative  of  strength  and  activity.  His  features  and 
countenance  were,  at  the  same  time,  eminently  handsome,  with  eyes, 
especially,  of  singular  brilliancy  and  expression  ;  to  which  were 
united,  manners  and  a  deportment,  frank,  graceful  and  polished. 

J.  P.  C. 


AXWCSdTiW  "NWT^'' 
A,\A/  bDvllvIsj 


HUGH  L.  WHITE. 

HUGH  L.  WHITE  was  born  in  Iredell  county,  North  Carolina,  in 
the  year  1773.  He  was  the  son  of  respectable  and  influential  parent- 
age, of  Irish  descent.  His  father,  James  White,  was  a  soldier  in  our 
memorable  struggle  for  independence  ;  afterwards  a  general  of  Ten- 
nessee militia,  and  served  with  high  honor  and  distinction  in  the  late 
Creek  war.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  he  removed  first  to  Vir- 
ginia, and  then  emigrated  to  Knox  county,  Tennessee,  when  Hugh 
was  thirteen  years  of  age.  At  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  Tennes- 
see was  a  wilderness ;  and  into  this  wild  abode  was  the  family  of  Mr. 
White  ushered,  with  no  defence  but  personal  prowess,  and  no  means 
of  subsistence  but  what  were  seized  in  the  face  of  danger  and  death. 
But  the  hardships  and  perils  which  the  early  pioneer  had  to  encoun- 
ter from  the  natural  obstacles  of  the  unsubdued  forest  and  its  terrific 
inhabitants,  have  been  too  often  and  glowingly  described,  and  are  too 
well  known,  even  to  infancy,  to  need  relation  here.  But  in  these  dan- 
gers and  perils  the  family  of  Mr.  White  bore  no  ordinary  share.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  Hugh  volunteered  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  In- 
dian campaigns.  In  these  he  was  soon  distinguished  as  a  brave,  vi- 
gilant, and  untiring  soldier.  He  possessed  a  constitution  peculiarly 
fitted  for  rugged  duties — a  constitution  which  has  preserved  its  elas- 
ticity and  firmness,  almost  in  primitive  vigor,  beyond  the  boundary  of 
three-score  years.  These  scenes  of  his  early  life  are  interesting  only 
as  they  were  the  rough  school  of  discipline  in  which  he  acquired  and 
strengthened  those  hardy  Roman  virtues  which  have  distinguished 
his  character  throughout  his  whole  public  career. 

The  early  education  of  HUGH  L.  WHITE,  was  not  as  thorough  and 
extensive  as  he  could  have  wished  it,  and  as  it  would  have  been  un- 
der more  favorable  circumstances.  The  refinements  of  polished  scho- 
larship had  hardly  been  introduced  into  Tennessee  at  that  early  day. 
But  of  the  more  practical  and  useful  branches  of  education,  such  as 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

j> 

qualified  him  for  the  discharge  of  the  immediate  duties  of  life,  he  ac- 
quired the -utmost  that  the  schools  of  that  day  afforded.  He  was  in- 
structed in  the  ancient  languages  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Carrick,  and 
Mr.  (afterwards  Judge)  Roane,  gentlemen  of  no  mean  proficiency  in 
scholarship.  To  these  attainments  he  afterwards  added  a  course  of 
mathematics,  under  Professor  Patterson  of  Philadelphia.  In  1795  he 
left  Philadelphia  for  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  entered  the 
office  of  James  Hopkins,  an  eminent  lawyer,  under  whose  superin- 
tendence he  devoted  himself  with  great  ardor  to  the  study  of  the  law. 
Having  completed  the  usual  preparatory  course,  he  returned,  in  1796, 
to  Knoxville,  where  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

For  the  five  succeeding  years  Judge  WHITE  devoted  himself  unre- 
mittingly to  the  duties  of  his  profession,  and  rose  to  high  and  honorable 
distinction  at  the  bar.  The  science  of  jurisprudence  was  his  especial 
study ;  and  with  such  zeal  and  ability  did  he  enter  into  the  investiga- 
tion, that  he  was  selected  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight,  from  a  body 
of  able  and  experienced  lawyers,  to  fill  the  office  of  Judge  of  the  Su- 
perior Court ;  at  that  time  the  highest  judicial  tribunal  in  the  State. 
This  seat  he  held  till  1807,  when  he  resigned. 

As  a  lawyer,  Judge  WHITE  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  in 
the  early  history  of  Tennessee.  Nor  was  the  bar  of  Tennessee  at  that 
time  wanting  in  men  of  the  first  order  in  legal  attainments.  Jackson, 
Whiteside,  Overton,  and  G.  W.  Campbell  were  then  in  the  prime  of 
their  legal  celebrity,  and  with  such  men  was  he  associated  upon  the 
bench.  In  legal  argumentation,  Judge  WHITE  had  but  few  superiors  ; 
yet  he  was  always  as  fair  and  honest  in  debate  as  he  was  cogent.  He 
never  turned  aside  to  take  advantage  of  quibbles,  and  quirks,  and 
senseless  technicalities  ;  but  built  his  premises  upon  the  plain  and  ob- 
vious meaning  of  the  law,  and  with  abstract  truth  as  his  guide,  he  seldom 
failed  to  carry  his  point.  He  viewed  every  thing  like  cunning  and 
subtlety  in  the  pleadings  of  the  bar  with  detestation,  as  he  always  has 
the  tricks  and  manoeuvres,  and  intrigues  of  party  politicians.  There 
need  be  no  better  evidence  that  Judge  WHITE  possessed  every  quali- 
fication of  the  able,  profound,  and  enlightened  jurist,  than  that  he  was 
afterwards  appointed,  (or  would  have  been  appointed  on  condition  of  his 
accepting,)  a  seat  upon  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  United  States,  which 
distinguished  post  of  honor  he  declined.  When  he  was  elevated  from 
the  bar  to  the  bench,  he  brought  to  the  discharge  of  its  difficult  func- 
tions all  the  qualities  already  enumerated,  and  superadded  to  the  es- 
sential attributes  of  judicial  authority,  great  mildness  and  suavity  of 
manners  ;  yet  was  he  always  firm,  and  dignified,  and  uncompromis- 


HUGH  L.  WHITE. 

ing  when  duty  demanded.  To  maintain  such  an  office  with  popu- 
larity and  respect,  both  from  the  people  and  the  bar,  is  the  surest  test 
of  merit.  Spurious  talents  or  superficial  learning  cannot  be  played  off 
undetected  upon  the  bench.  The  strict  integrity  of  Judge  WHITE 
was  proverbial.  His  opinions  were  generally  remarkable  for  perspi- 
cuity and  strength,  and  many  of  them  able  specimens  of  judicial  acu- 
men and  research.  His  long  services  in  his  judicial  capacity  acquired 
for  him  the  greatest  respect  and  esteem  from  the  gentlemen  of  the  pro- 
fession, and  conferred  lasting  honor  on  the  bar  of  Tennessee.  Such 
ample  opportunities  as  were  presented  during  twelve  years'  experience 
on  the  bench,  and  especially,  when  afterwards  practised  upon  and  en- 
larged in  the  course  of  his  political  experience,  have  rendered  Judge 
WHITE  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  spirit  and  character  of  the 
laws  of  his  country. 

An  interesting  anecdote  is  told  of  this  period  of  his  life,  quite  cha- 
racteristic of  his  republican  simplicity.  A  student  of  law  came  a  con- 
siderable distance  to  be  examined  by  him,  in  order  to  obtain  license. 
The  young  man  had  heard  much  of  his  ability  and  learning  as  a  ju- 
rist, and  expected  to  be  much  embarrassed  in  his  presence ;  but  he 
mustered  courage,  visited  his  residence,  and  on  being  informed  that 
the  Judge  was  on  his  farm,  went  out,  and  intercepted  a  man  ploughing, 
and  asked  for  Judge  WHITE.  "  I  am  the  man,"  was  the  reply.  "I 
wish  to  get  license  to  practise  law,  and  have  come  to  be  examined." 
"  Well,  sir,  if  you  will  be  good  enough  to  come  down  into  the  shade, 
I  will  attend  to  it  with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure."  He  secured  his  plough- 
horse,  got  over  into  the  cool  shade,  and  took  the  young  man  through 
a  most  learned  and  rigid  examination — found  that  he  was  well 
qualified,  and,  after  inviting  him  to  his  bouse,  and  showing  him  every 
mark  of  hospitality  and  politeness,  gave  him  a  license. 

In  the  year  1807  he  resigned  his  judgeship,  and  retired,  in  a  great 
measure,  to  his  farm.  Agricultural  pursuits  had  always  been  a  favo- 
rite occupation,  even  in  the  midst  of  laborious  studies  ;  and  he  would 
be  frequently  found  in  the  intervals  of  his  engagements,  ploughing  in 
his  fields.  There  appears  always  to  have  been  a  congeniality  between 
great  and  good  minds  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  We  pretend  not 
to  divine  the  philosophy  of  it,  or  to  determine,  as  has  often  been  con- 
tended, why  it  is  that  patriotism  exists  in  so  much  more  elevated  and 
fervent  devotion  in  the  retirement  of  the  farm  than  in  the  busy  throng  of 
crowded  cities.  Whether  the  fact  be  so  or  not,  certain  it  is  that  many 
of  the  noblest  instances  of  sterling  patriotism  and  high-souled  principle 
that  have  ever  figured  in  the  drama  of  human  actions,  have  been  found 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

among  those  most  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Hypocrisy  and 
intrigue,  which  are  the  elements  of  contracted  minds,  have  nought  to 
do  in  the  retirement  of  the  farm ;  but  far  removed  from  the  long  cata- 
logue of  human  frailties  and  vices  with  which  they  are  so  painfully 
conversant  in  public  life,  the  good  and  the  great  are  gratified  with  the 
view  of  the  brighter  side  of  humanity,  and  have  there  to  deal  with 
characters  and  actions  more  congenial  with  the  simplicity  and  great- 
ness of  their  own  natures.  Like  Jefferson,  and  Washington,  and  Ma- 
dison,  Judge  WHITE  could  be  induced  to  leave  his  farm  only  when 
duty,  which  was  the  supreme  law  of  his  nature,  demanded  ;  and  when 
that  was  performed,  he  left  the  rivalries  and  commotions  of  public  life 
without  a  regret,  to  those  whose  business  it  was  to  foster  them. 

About  this  time  Judge  WHITE  was  appointed  District  Attorney  for 
the  United  States,  which  station  he  soon  resigned.  In  1807  he  was 
elected  a  senator  to  the  State  legislature.  While  a  member  of  this 
body  he  performed  many  important  services  to  Tennessee,  and  was 
the  author  of  a  system  of  land  law  ;  for  which  Tennesseans,  who  re- 
collect the  frauds  and  controversies  of  the  old  system,  will  ever  be 
grateful.  The  speech  in  which  he  advocated  the  measure  was  one  of 
the  first  which  he  made  as  a  politician,  and  was  said  to  have  been  one 
of  unusual  power.  In  1809  the  judiciary  of  Tennessee  was  re-organ- 
ized, and  a  Supreme  Court  instituted.  In  this  high  tribunal  he  was 
appointed  to  preside,  although  he  was  not  a  candidate,  and  was  absent 
from  the  seat  of  government  two  hundred  miles  when  the  legislature 
conferred  the  appointment.  He  held  this  office  for  six  years,  and  from 
his  faithfulness  and  ability  acquired  the  utmost  respect  and  popularity 
from  the  people,  by  whose  delegated  authority  he  had  been  appointed. 
Previous  to  his  resignation  in  1815  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
State  bank.  Under  his  auspices  the  institution  flourished  in  a  high 
degree,  and  acquired  much  character  for  the  prudence  and  ability  of  its 
administration,  and  the  stability  of  its  operations.  It  obtained  a  stand- 
ing in  the  west  equally  honorable  to  the  State  and  beneficial  to  its  finan- 
cial concerns.  He  continued  twelve  years  at  the  head  of  this  institu- 
tion, including  the  period  of  the  late  war — a  period  which  will  be  long 
remembered  in  the  political  history  of  the  United  States  for  fiscal  dis- 
trust, confusion,  and  difficulty  ;  and  which,  but  for  the  energies  of  one 
man,  would  have  rendered  bankrupt  the  credit  of  the  whole  nation. 

But  while  engaged  in  the  double  duties  of  Judge  and  President  of 
the  Bank,  he  did  not  forget  his  country.  During  the  darkest  period 
of  the  Creek  campaign,  when  General  Jackson  was  surrounded  with 
difficulties  such  as  would  have  crushed  any  other  man,  his  brave  men 


HUGH  L    WHITE 

contending  not  only  with  savages,  but  with  famine  and  want,  and  sus- 
taining life  on  roots  and  acorns,  HUGH  L.  WHITE  left  the  bench,  and 
with  a  single  companion,  the  Hon.  Luke  Lea,  started  for  the  wilder- 
ness, hired  an  Indian  guide,  and  after  several  days  and  nights  of  peril- 
ous adventure,  found  the  general's  encampment.  He  told  the  vete- 
ran, that  having  heard  of  his  difficulties,  he  had  left  his  business,  and 
come  to  share  his  toils  and  dangers.  It  was  determined,  after  some 
consultation,  that  the  Judge  should  return  through  the  wilderness  to 
Tennessee,  and  exert  his  influence  in  raising  volunteers  and  procur 
ing  provisions  for  the  distressed  and  famishing  army.  While  absent 
on  this  expedition,  he  missed  several  terms  of  his  court,  and  by  the  laws 
of  Tennessee  the  judges  were  paid  only  in  proportion  to  duty  per- 
formed. The  legislature,  in  consideration  of  the  great  services  he  had 
rendered  General  Jackson,  passed  an  order  that  there  should  be  no  de- 
duction of  his  salary.  But  with  characteristic  magnanimity  he  de- 
clined the  offer,  and  would  receive  no  more  than  that  for  which  he 
rendered  actual  service.  He  said  that  his  country  was  in  distress,  that 
the  aid  he  had  rendered  was  without  the  hope  of  reward,  and  that  he 
would  receive  none. 

In  1817  HUGH  L.  WHITE  was  again  elected  senator  by  a  major- 
ity approaching  unanimity ;  and  served  with  distinction  the  period 
for  which  he  had  been  elected. 

But  the  abilities  of  HUGH  L.  WHITE  were  too  distinguished,  and 
too  well  appreciated  by  his  countrymen,  to  be  confined  within  the 
limits  of  a  single  State.  He  was  appointed,  in  1820,  by  President  Mon- 
roe, one  of  the  commissioners  under  the  Spanish  treaty,  in  conjunction 
with  Littleton  W.  Tazewell  and  Gov.  King.  Previous  to  this  time 
his  attention  had  been  confined  chiefly  to  the  laws  affecting  individual 
rights  and  private  property.  The  rights  and  laws  of  nations  had  little 
connexion  with  the  administration  of  justice  in  an  interior  State ;  but 
as  the  sphere  of  his  operations  was  widened,  he  was  found  to  possess 
mental  resources  corresponding  to  the  increased  demand.  With  such 
success  did  he  apply  himself  to  the  details  of  commercial,  maritime,  and 
international  law,  that  he  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  able 
colleagues — men  who  had  been  experienced,  and  profoundly  versed  in 
the  science  of  public  law.  He  held  this  appointment  until  1824,  at 
which  time  the  commission  expired.  In  the  same  year  he  was  again 
unanimously  appointed  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  but  he  declin- 
ed the  appointment.  In  1825  General  Jackson  resigned  his  seat  in 
the  United  States  senate,  and  HUGH  L.  WHITE  was  unanimously 
elected  to  fill  out  the  term.  In  1827  he  was  again  unanimously  elect- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

ed  to  serve  the  next  six  years.  And  yet  again,  amidst  the  hottest  party 
rancor,  the  legislature  bestowed  their  undivided  suffrage  upon  him 
for  another  term  of  six  years,  in  1835. 

We  are  now  to  review  the  life  of  HUGH  L.  WHITE  in  the  most  im- 
portant and  interesting  scenes  of  the  many  in  which  he  has  taken 
part.  Hitherto  we  have  viewed  him  chiefly  as  a  jurist  and  a  local 
politician.  But  his  life  and  acts  become  now  identified  with  national 
history  and  national  interests.  And  from  the  character  which  he  has 
acquired  in  this  political  capacity,  from  the  ability  and  faithfulness 
with  which  he  has  discharged  the  functions  of  the  high  stations  which 
he  has  occupied,  must  he  stand  or  fall  to  the  people  of  this  nation. 
Twelve  years  ago  HUGH  L.  WHITE  brought  into  our  national  coun- 
cils great  weight  of  character.  At  that  time  he  had  the  unlimited  con- 
fidence of  every  party  in  the  government.  During  this  era  of  great 
achievements  in  our  political  history — memorable  for  the  revolution- 
izing of  our  national  policy,  for  the  demolishing  of  long-established 
institutions,  and  the  building  up  new  ;  for  bold  and  untried  adventure 
in  the  theory  and  practice  of  government — which  will  distinguish  this 
era  of  our  political  history  for  ages  to  come — during  all  this  mighty 
conflict  of  principle,  HUGH  L.  WHITE  has  been  constantly  upon  the 
ground.  He  bore  his  part  in  them  all,  as  friend  or  foe.  This  period 
is  too  fresh  in  the  memory  of  all,  and  the  measures  too  notorious  to  be 
detailed  in  this  place.  But  during  this  comparatively  short  period  of 
his  public  career,  more  weighty  subjects  have  been  discussed,  more 
doubtful  points  of  national  policy  settled,  more  difficulties  removed 
from  the  free  administration  of  government,  more  political  heresies 
broached  aud  exterminated,  than  in  any  other  period  of  American  his- 
tory of  the  same  length.  The  whole  theory  of  government  has  been 
subjected  to  an  inquisition,  which  spared  neither  the  ancient,  nor  the 
venerable,  nor  the  strong,  nor  the  weak.  In  the  scales  of  justice  or  ho- 
esty  they  have  all  been  weighed,  and  have  found  the  level,  or  the  sup- 
posed level,  of  their  merits.  Its  maritime  and  commercial  policy  has  been 
revolutionised.  Its  banking  establishments  upturned.  The  powers 
of  the  general  government,  in  internal  improvements  and  executive 
patronage,  have  been  scrutinised.  The  origin  and  nature  of  the  fede- 
ral compact  have  been  discussed  with  earnestness  and  ability  ;  and  its 
value  has  been  calculated,  and  its  fundamental  principles  bandied 
about  with  the  familiarity  of  toys.  With  what  character  Judge  WHITE 
has  passed  through  these  scenes,  is  known  to  every  man  in  the  nation. 

In  1832  John  C.  Calhoun  resigned  the  Vice-Presidency  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  and  the  senate  was  left  without  a  presiding  officer.  It  was 


HUGH  L.  WHITE. 

on  the  eve  of  that  memorable  session,  when  the  debate  upon  the  tariff 
had  well-nigh  severed  the  Union.  The  first  talent  of  the  nation  was 
there  congregated,  and  every  man  had  arrayed  himself  upon  one  side 
or  the  other.  The  prize  at  issue  was  the  CONSTITUTION.  And  the 
leaders  of  the  respective  divisions  came  armed  with  the  resolution  to 
carry  their  measures,  though  disunion  on  one  side  and  civil  war  on  the 
other  were  the  consequence.  Proud  in  the  strength  of  conscious 
greatness,  irritated  by  supposed  aggressions  or  tyranny,  and  discord- 
ant to  a  degree  that  almost  banished  deliberation,  they  foresaw  that 
troublous  times  were  not  far  distant.  It  was  seen  that  no  ordinary 
mind  could  be  able  to  curb  the  outbreakings  of  passion,  and  to  main- 
tain its  equipoise  through  so  doubtful  a  contest.  In  full  view  of  all 
these  difficulties,  Judge  WHITE  was  elected  president  of  the  senate ; 
and  how  he  sustained  the  exalted  expectations  of  that  body  and  the 
nation  is  now  a  matter  of  history.  The  firmness,  impartiality,  deci- 
sion, and  dignity  with  which  he  presided  over  the  stormy  debate,  proved 
that  no  false  estimate  had  been  placed  upon  his  character. 

The  intellectual  character  of  Judge  WHITE  would  bear  a  fair  and 
honorable  comparison  with  the  first  talent  in  the  senate.  As  an  orator, 
in  the  popular  acceptation  of  the  term,  he  is  not  so  distinguished  as 
many  members  in  the  house  of  Congress.  He  possesses  little  of  that 
rich  profusion  of  imagination  which  throws  such  a  charm  over  the 
oratory  of  a  Clay,  or  a  Pinckney,  or  a  Wirt.  But  as  a  reasoner  and 
debater,  he  has  shown  strength  and  cogency  of  argument  on  more  than 
one  occasion,  which  would  rank  him  as  one  of  the  able  logicians  on 
the  floor  of  Congress.  In  the  discussion  upon  the  Panama  Mission 
he  was  particularly  distinguished  ;  and  the  combatants  in  that  debate 
were  no  striplings  in  mind  and  attainments.  The  profoundest  talent 
in  the  nation,  and  the  deepest  constitutional  learning,  were  brought  to 
bear  upon  it. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  efforts  he  ever  made  in  the  senate  was 
on  the  morning  after  he  received  the  tidings  that  the  hand  of  death 
had  torn  asunder  the  tenderesl  fibres  of  human  affection.  It  was  his 
speech  on  the  Indian  bill.  This  question  had  occasioned  great  em- 
barrassment and  concern  to  President  Jackson.  HUGH  L.  WHITE  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  ;  the  weight  of  the  measure  devolved  upon 
him,  and  procrastination  was  certain  defeat.  But  he  appeared  in  his 
seat,  asked  no  indulgence,  made  no  apology ;  and,  showing  a  fortitude 
worthy  of  his  character,  made  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  successful 
efforts  ever  witnessed  in  that  body,  and  carried  the  measure.  Such 
lofty  and  honorable  views  of  the  nature  and  obligation  of  a  trust,  such 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

intense  devotion  to  its  fulfilment,  have  distinguished  him  in  every  sta- 
tion of  life.  This  honorable  and  enviable  fact  in  his  history  will  be 
remembered  when  this  generation  shall  have  passed  away. 

One  historical  fact  must  not  be  omitted,  although  it  is  of  too  recent 
occurrence  to  require  more  than  merely  to  be  mentioned : — Judge 
WHITE  was  held  up  with  General  Harrison  and  Mr.  Yan  Buren  as  a 
candidate  at  the  last  presidential  election.  Defeat  in  such  a  contest, 
to  one  of  his  cast  of  mind,  is  better  than  victory. 

Such  is  a  brief,  and,  as  we  believe,  impartial  sketch  of  the  life  and 
services  of  HUGH  L.  WHITE. 


EDWAED  EVERETT. 

THE  incidents  in  the  life  of  EDWARD  EVERETT,  and  his  public 
labors,  have  been  so  various  and  numerous,  that  the  most  concise  re- 
cord of  them  will  crowd  upon  the  limits  within  which  it  is  necessary 
to  confine  our  biographical  notices. 

He  was  born  in  Dorchester,  Norfolk  County,  Massachusetts.  His 
father,  Oliver  Everett,  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  in  the  town  of  Ded 
ham,  of  the  same  county,  and  descended  from  one  of  the  original 
planters  of  that  place,  where  the  family  still  remains,  like  their  predeces- 
sors for  five  generations,  respectable  cultivators  of  the  soil.  Deprived, 
by  the  narrow  circumstances  of  his  family,  of  early  opportunities  of 
education,  he  succeeded  in  preparing  himself  for  College  after  he  be- 
came of  age ;  and  was  graduated  at  Cambridge  in  1779,  when  twen- 
ty-eight years  old. 

In  1782  he  was  ordained  over  the  New  South  Church  in  Boston, 
from  which  he  obtained  a  dismission  in  1792.  President  Allen,  in  his 
biographical  dictionary,  speaks  of  his  "high  reputation,"  and  of 
"  the  very  extraordinary  powers  of  his  mind."  On  leaving  the  minis- 
try, he  retired  to  a  small  farm  in  Dorchester ;  and  among  other  marks 
of  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held,  was  made  a  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  for  Norfolk  County.  He  died  at  the  age  of  51,  on 
the  19th  of  December,  1802. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir,  who  was  the  fourth  in  a  family  of 
eight  children,  was  born  on  the  llth  of  April,  1794.  His  education, 
till  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  was  obtained  almost  exclusively  at 
the  public  schools  in  Dorchester  and  Boston,  to  which  latter  place  the 
family  removed  after  his  father's  dece.ase.  In  1807  he  was  sent  to  the 
Academy  at  Exeter,  N.  H.  Here,  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Abbott,  he 
completed  his  preparation  for  College.  He  entered  Havard  Univer- 
sity at  Cambridge,  in  August,  1807,  and  graduated  in  1811  with  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

highest  honors  of  his  class,  and  with  a  reputation  which  has  seldom 
been  attained  at  so  early  an  age. 

Under  the  influence  of  the  late  Rev.  J.  S.  Buckminster,  who  was  the 
minister  of  his  family  in  Boston,  he  was  induced  to  select  the  profes- 
sion of  Theology.  His  studies  were  pursued  with  the  benefit  of  the 
direction  and  advice  of  President  Kirkland,  of  whose  family  he  was  a 
member.  In  1812  he  was  appointed  Latin  tutor  in  the  University.  In 
the  autumn  of  1813,  being  then  less  than  nineteen  and  a  half  years  of 
age,  he  was  settled  as  the  successor  of  Buckminster  over  the  Brattle 
Street  Church  in  Boston.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  duties  of  his 
ministry,  which  he  performed  with  a  fidelity  and  success  of  which  all 
who  heard  him  are  the  witnesses,  he  wrote  and  published  a  Defence 
of  Christianity,  against  a  peculiar  form  of  infidelity  then  broached  by 
some  persons  of  considerable  pretensions  to  learning.  This  is  an 
elaborate  and  ;inost  able  work,  and  displays  resources  of  erudition 
which  would  be  thought  worthy  of  admiration  in  a  scholar  of  ad- 
vanced age. 

Having  been  appointed  by  the  Corporation  and  Overseers  of  Har- 
vard University  Professor  of  Greek  Literature,  he  obtained  a  dismission 
from  his  congregation,  and  was  inducted  into  office  at  Cambridge 
when  under  twenty-one  years  of  age.  For  the  improvement  of  his 
health,  and  in  order  to  perfect  his  preparation  for  the  duties  to  which 
he  was  called  as  connected  with  the  college,  he  was  permitted  and 
enabled,  by  the  corporation,  to  travel  in  Europe,  and  to  reside  for  a 
season  at  some  of  the  principal  foreign  universities. 

He  embarked  from  Boston  in  the  spring  of  1815,  in  one  of  the  first 
ships  that  sailed  after  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain.  On  arriving  at  Liverpool  he  heard  of  the  escape  of  Napoleon 
from  Elba,  and  was  in  London  when  the  battle  of  Waterloo  was 
fought.  From  London  he  proceeded  towards  Germany,  accompanied 
by  his  distinguished  friend  and  countryman,  Mr.  George  Ticknor. 
They  passed  a  few  days  at  Rotterdam,  Amsterdam,  Leyden,  and  the 
other  Dutch  cities ;  and  proceeded  through  Westphalia  to  Gottingen 
in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover.  Here,  at  this  most  celebrated  German 
University  he  spent  more  than  two  years  of  assiduous  application  to 
study.  The  vacations  were  employed  in  excursions  to  the  principal 
cities  and  universities  of  North  Germany.  During  one  of  these  vaca- 
tions he  visited  the  Hague,  where  his  brother  was  residing  in  a  diplo- 
matic capacity.  On  another  occasion  he  made  a  journey  on  foot 
through  the  Hartz  Mountains. 

The  winter  of  1817  he  spent  in  Paris,  acquiring,  among  other 


EDWARD  EVERETT. 

branches  of  knowledge,  an  acquaintance  with  the  Italian  and  modem 
Greek  languages.  Here  he  enjoyed  the  society  of  such  men  as  Vis- 
conti,  Humboldt,  the  Abb6  de  Pradt,  Benjamin  Constant,  Sismondi, 
Koray,  and  General  Lafayette.  In  the  spring  of  1818  he  went  over 
to  England,  spent  some  time  at  the  universities  of  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge, visited  Wales  and  the  Lakes,  made  an  excursion  to  Edinburgh 
and  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  passed  a  few  days  with  Sir  Walter 
Scott  at  Abbotsford,  and  became  acquainted  with  Dugald  Stewart,  and 
many  of  the  other  leading  characters  of  Scotland  and  England. 

In  the  fall  of  1818  he  returned  to  France,  and  proceeded  to  Swit- 
zerland and  Italy,  accompanied  by  General  Lyman,  late  mayor  of  Bos- 
ton. They  took  the  road  to  Lyons,  passed  a  few  days  at  Geneva, 
visited  Chamouni  and  the  glaciers  of  Mont  Blanc,  made  a  circuit 
through  Lausanne,  Bern,  Lucerne,  Schweitz,  Altdorf,  and  the  Valais ; 
crossed  the  Simplon  to  Milan  ;  went  through  Lombardy  to  Venice, 
and  then  back  over  the  Appenines  to  Florence.  The  winter  was 
spent  at  Rome,  in  laborious  study.  While  there,  he  saw  Canova,  and 
had  frequent  opportunities  of  meeting,  among  other  distinguished  per- 
sons, the  members  of  the  Bonaparte  family, — the  mother  of  Napoleon, 
the  princess  Borghese  his  sister,  Louis  the  ex-King  of  Holland,  and 
Lucien. 

In  February,  1819,  still  accompanied  by  Mr.  Lyman,  he  went  to 
Naples  ;  and  after  visiting  the  places  of  interest  in  the  neighborhood  of 
that  city,  crossed  over  to  Bari  on  the  Adriatic ;  and  thence  travelled  on 
horseback,  through  a  country  where  there  were  no  carriage  roads  nor 
public  conveyances,  and  much  infested  with  brigands,  by  the  way  of 
Lecce  to  Otranto.  From  Otranto  they  took  passage  to  Corfu,  and 
from  thence  in  a  row-boat  they  proceeded  to  the  coast  of  Albania.  At 
Yanina,  its  capital,  they  were  received  with  great  kindness  by  Ali  Pa- 
cha, and  his  sons  Muctar  and  Veli  Pacha.  They  bore  letters  to  this  fa- 
mous chieftain  from  Lord  Byron.  Crossing  Mount  Pindus,  and  going 
north  as  far  as  the  Vale  of  Tempe,  they  returned  through  Thessaly 
to  Thermopylae,  passing  by  Pharsalia,  and  taking  the  road  over 
Mount  Parnassus  to  Delphi,  Thebes,  and  Athens.  They  then  made 
an  excursion  over  the  Isthmus  of  Corinth  to  Sparta,  and  returning 
to  the  north,  embarked  in  the  Gulf  of  Volo  for  the  Dardanelles.  After 
visiting  the  site  of  Troy,  they  reached  Constantinople.  This  tour  over 
Greece  took  place  about  ten  months  before  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  with  Ali  Pacha,  which  brought  on  the  Greek  revolution. 

Towards  the  end  of  June,  1819,  they  passed  the  Balkan  Mountains, 
not  far  from  the  route  taken  afterwards  by  the  Russian  army.  Crossing 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  Danube  at  Nicopol,  they  went  through  Wallachia  to  Bucharest,  and 
entered  Austria  at  the  pass  of  Rotenthurm,  in  the  Carpathian  Moun- 
tains. After  a  week's  quarantine  in  the  secluded  vale  of  the  Aluda, 
they  proceeded  to  Hermanstadt,  the  capital  of  Transylvania,  and 
thence  through  the  Bannat  of  Temeswar  across  Hungary  to  Yien- 
na.  After  leaving  this  beautiful  metropolis,  they  traversed  Austria, 
the  Tyrol,  and  Bavaria  ;  and  returning  by  the  way  of  Paris  and  Lon- 
don, took  passage  for  America,  September,  1819.  The  whole  time 
spent  by  Mr.  EVERETT  in  his  travels  and  studies  in  Europe  and  Asia, 
was  nearly  four  years  and  seven  months. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Boston,  he  was  solicited  to  assume  the 
editorial  charge  of  the  North  American  Review.  Its  number  of  sub- 
scribers, at  that  time,  was  inconsiderable.  The  effect  produced  by  him 
upon  its  circulation  was  instantaneous,  and  great  beyond  parallel  in 
our  literary  history.  Many  of  its  numbers  passed  into  a  second  and 
even  a  third  edition.  He  gave  it  an  American  character  and  spirit ; 
and  such  was  the  tone  he  imparted  to  it,  that  it  commanded,  not  only 
the  admiration  and  applause  of  his  own  countrymen,  but  the  respect 
and  acknowledgments  of  foreign  critics  and  scholars.  He  defended 
our  institutions  and  character  with  so  much  spirit  and  power,  that  the 
voice  of  transatlantic  detraction  was  silenced  ;  and  in  one  memorable 
instance,  an  apology  to  the  people  of  the  United  States  was  drawn 
from  the  editor  of  a  British  periodical.  His  editorial  connexion  with 
the  North  American  Review  lasted  four  years,  from  1819  to  the  close 
of  1823  ;  but  he  has  continued  to  contribute  to  its  pages  to  this  day. 
It  has  been  enriched  by  the  contributions  of  many  of  our  ablest 
scholars,  but  no  single  writer  has  done  so  much  to  secure  and  maintain 
its  high  stand  and  wide-spread  influence  as  EDWARD  EVERETT  ;  and 
if  he  had  written  nothing  else,  his  articles  in  that  journal  would  con- 
stitute a  monument  of  genius,  eloquence,  erudition,  and  patriotism, 
which  would  secure  to  him  an  enviable  reputation.  His  lectures  on 
Greek  literature,  delivered  to  the  students  of  Harvard  University,  are 
remembered  with  respectful  gratitude  by  all  whose  privilege  it  was  to 
be  connected  with  the  college  during  his  continuance  in  office  there. 
At  the  same  time  he  delivered  two  courses  of  lectures  in  Boston  on 
Ancient  Art,  which,  as  well  as  his  collegiate  lectures,  remain  still 
unpublished.  When,  after  having  received  such  corrections  and  ad- 
ditions as  his  mature  experience  and  leisure  may  enable  him  to  bestow 
upon  them,  they  shall  be  given  to  the  world,  those  who  heard  them 
are  confident  that  they  will  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  noblest  con- 
tributions ever  made  to  our  literature. 


EDWARD  EVERETT. 

While  residing  at  Cambridge,  he  kept  up  a  correspondence  with  his 
learned  friends  abroad,  particularly  with  the  scholars  and  patriots  of 
Greece  ;  and  by  his  zealous  exertions  did  much  to  awaken  the  inter- 
est which,  throughout  the  country  and  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  was 
expressed  in  behalf  of  that  renowned  people  in  their  long  and  glo- 
rious struggle  for  liberty  and  independence. 

In  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  Professor  at  Cambridge  he  was 
faithful,  constant,  and  eminently  successful.  He  did  not  confine  him- 
self to  what  was  absolutely  required  of  him ;  but  by  voluntary  and 
gratuitous  labors  and  offices  of  kindness,  conferred  benefits  upon  the 
students,  which  are  not  forgotten  by  them,  however  widely  they  may 
have  been  dispersed  in  the  course  of  their  subsequent  lives.  He  pre- 
pared, while  professor,  a  Greek  grammar  and  a  Greek  class-book  for 
the  use  of  the  students. 

In  1824  he  delivered  the  oration  before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society 
at  Cambridge.  General  Lafayette  was  among  his  auditors.  This  per- 
formance established  his  fame  as  an  orator.  About  this  time  a  vacan- 
cy occurred  in  the  Congressional  District  to  which  Cambridge  belongs ; 
the  gentleman  who  for  many  years  had  occupied  the  seat,  having  de- 
clined a  re-election.  The  most  popular  political  character  in  the  dis- 
trict was  put  in  nomination  by  one  of  the  largest  conventions  ever  as- 
sembled within  it.  A  few  young  men  made  a  volunteer  nomination 
of  EDWARD  EVERETT.  His  talents  and  qualifications  were  not  un- 
known to  the  intelligent  people  of  Middlesex,  and,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  all,  he  was  elected  by  a  decisive  majority. 

Contrary  to  his  expectation  at  the  time  of  accepting  a  nomination, 
his  connexion  with  the  University,  as  an  instructor,  ceased  on  his  elec- 
tion to  Congress  ;  but  he  was  immediately  chosen  by  the  overseers  to 
fill  a  vacancy  at  their  board. 

In  December,  1825,  he  took  his  seat  in  Congress,  to  which  he  was 
re-elected  for  five  successive  Congresses  by  overwhelming  majorities. 
His  legislative  labors  were  very  great.  For  the  whole  period  often  years 
he  was  always  on  the  Committee  of  Foreign  Affairs,  a  part  of  the  time 
its  chairman.  He  drew  up  many  of  its  reports,  particularly  that  on 
the  Panama  Mission.  After  having  reported  to  the  House  on  our  claims 
upon  foreign  powers  for  spoliation,  he  continued  to  discuss  the  sub- 
ject in  the  North  American  Review,  and  finally  collected  all  the  facts 
and  arguments,  in  reference  to  the  question,  as  it  stood  with  each  fo- 
reign power  concerned  in  it,  into  a  volume. 

Much  of  the  credit  for  having  finally  procured  the  adjustment  of  these 
claims  is  due  to  him. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

He  was  chairman  of  the  Select  Committee,  during  Mr.  Adams's 
Presidency,  on  the  Georgia  controversy ;  and  always  took  a  leading 
part,  while  in  Congress,  in  the  efforts  that  were  made  to  protect  the  In- 
dians from  injustice.  In  the  spring  of  1827  he  addressed  a  series  of 
letters  to  Mr.  Canning  on  the  subject  of  the  colonial  trade,  which  were 
extensively  re-published.  He  always  served  on  the  Library  Committee, 
and  generally  on  that  for  the  Public  Buildings ;  together  with  John 
Sergeant,  he  constituted  the  minority  on  the  famous  Retrenchment 
Committee.  He  drew  the  report  for  the  Committee  in  favor  of  the 
heirs  of  Fulton.  Together  with  the  present  Governor  of  Connecticut, 
Mr.  Ellsworth,  he  constituted  the  minority  of  the  Bank  investigating 
Committee,  which  was  despatched  to  Philadelphia,  and  wrote  the  mi- 
nority report.  He  wrote  the  minority  report  of  the  Committee  of 
Foreign  Relations  in  reference  to  the  controversy  with  France,  in  the 
spring  of  1835  ;  distinguished  himself  by  the  high  ground  he  took 
on  the  subject  in  debate,  and  supplied,  in  the  last  clause  of  his  report, 
the  words  of  the  resolution  unanimously  passed,  in  reference  to  it,  by 
the  House  of  Representatives.  He  also,  at  the  same  session,  prepared  a 
statement  on  French  spoliations  prior  to  1800,  which  was  printed  by 
order  of  the  House. 

Such  were  some  of  his  Congressional  labors.  He  was  emphatically, 
there  as  everywhere,  a  working  man.  He  made  himself  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  every  subject  that  came  before  the  House.  His  Speeches 
and  Reports  exhaust  all  the  facts  and  arguments  that  belong  to  their 
topics.  His  manner  of  speaking  was  simple,  elegant,  and  persuasive  ; 
and  always  secured  attention.  He  was  firm  and  steadfast  in  his  poli- 
tical course ;  but  urbane,  respectful,  and  just  toward  his  opponents. 
He  disarmed  his  enemies,  and  was  faithful  to  his  friends  ;  and  his  whole 
deportment  was  consistent  with  the  history  of  his  life,  and  will  be 
readily  acknowledged  by  his  associates,  of  every  party,  to  have  been 
every  way  becoming  the  gentleman,  the  scholar,  and  the  patriot. 

In  the  interim  of  Congress,  during  the  summer  of  1829,  he  made 
an  extensive  tour  through  the  south-western  and  western  states,  and 
was  every  where  received  with  marked  attentions,  having  been  honored 
by  public  dinners  in  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Ohio,  without  distinc- 
tion of  party.  When,  in  1833,  General  Jackson  visited  New  England, 
Mr.  Everett  was  selected  by  his  constituents  in  Charlestown  to  address 
him  on  Bunker  Hill.  The  reply  of  the  President  was  expressive  of 
marked  respect  for  his  character  and  talents. 

During  the  whole  of  his  political  career,  up  to  this  time,  he  has  been 
mindful  of  the  duty  he  owes  to  our  literature.  His  pen  has  been  ac- 


EDWARD  EVERETT. 

live  in  innumerable  ways  ;  and  each  year  he  has  been,  without  cessa- 
tion, pouring  forth  a  series  of  orations,  lectures,  and  addresses  of  an 
historical,  patriotic,  philanthropic,  and  classical  character  ;  a  large  num- 
ber of  which  have  been  collected  in  a  volume,  which  is  extensively 
circulated  throughout  the  country.  As  a  writer  and  speaker,  he  is 
surpassed  by  no  one  in  grace,  purity,  and  richness  of  style.  His  voice 
and  manner  of  delivery  are  in  harmony  with  the  character  of  his 
sentiments.  He  never  wearies,  cannot  be  exhausted,  and  invariably 
causes  delight  to  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  Whether  with  or  without 
preparation,  in  the  chair  of  State,  from  the  academical  stage,  or  in  the 
unforeseen  and  ever-varying  conjunctures  of  the  literary  or  political 
festival,  he  is  never  taken  by  surprise,  but  adorns  all  that  he  touches. 

In  the  spring  of  1835,  he  took  his  leave  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, having  declined  a  re-election. 

On  the  election  of  Governor  Davis  to  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  in  Feburary,  1835  he  was  nominated  as  his  successor  ;  and  in 
the  ensuing  November  was  elected  by  a  large  majority.  In  1836  he 
was  re-elected  to  the  same  office,  and  in  1837  he  received  the  largest 
majority  ever  given  in  Massachusetts  in  a  contested  election. 

Excellent  and  distinguished  as  the  Governors  of  Massachusetts  have 
ever  been,  it  is  quite  certain  that  no  chief  magistrate  ever  enjoyed  a 
higher  degree  of  the  confidence  of  the  people  of  that  State  than  ED- 
WARD EVERETT.  His  administration  is  a  model  of  republican  simpli- 
city, fidelity,  industry,  and  usefulness.  He  neglects  no  duty,  and  aims 
at  no  display.  While  in  the  discharge  of  his  public  office,  he  is  digni- 
fied, firm,  and  regardful  of  the  trust  committed  to  him.  When  not  en- 
gaged in  official  duty,  he  is  undistinguishable  from  the  body  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens ;  attracting  attention  only  by  the  conscientious  carefulness 
with  which  he  fulfils  every  obligation  as  a  citizen,  a  head  of  a  family, 
and  a  man. 

His  administration  has  already  begun  to  show  the  fruits  of  his  in- 
dustry and  wisdom  in  the  various  ways  in  which  it  has  advanced  the 
public  welfare.  He  is  steadily  and  efficiently  promoting  a  reform  in 
the  law,  encouraging  internal  improvement,  and  the  development  of 
the  physical  and  mechanical  energies  of  the  State  ;  elevating  the  stand- 
ard and  diffusing  the  blessings  of  education ;  increasing  the  usefulness, 
and  preventing  abuses  of  the  banking  system  ;  revising  the  militia,  ar- 
resting the  progress  of  disorder,  and  providing  the  means  of  its  sup- 
pression ;  securing  the  public  archives  from  destruction  and  loss,  and 
unfolding  all  the  capacities  of  the  State,  particularly  its  great  resources, 
agriculture  and  the  arts.  Resolves,  laws,  and  commissions,  for  these 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

and  other  important  objects,  have  been  suggested  or  favored  by  his 
influence.  When  it  is  considered  that  he  is  yet  in  the  prime  of  life, 
and  that,  blessed  with  a  good  constitution,  sound  and  pure  health, 
and  the  most  temperate,  and  perfectly  disciplined  habits  of  mind  and 
body,  it  is  not  too  much  to  indulge  the  hope  that  for  many  years  to 
come  his  benignant  and  invaluable  influence  will  be  felt  upon  the 
refinement,  the  literature,  and  the  government  of  Massachusetts  and 
of  the  Union. 

In  this  sketch  but  a  small  proportion  of  Governor  EVERETT'S  writ- 
ings have  been  enumerated.  Many  of  the  incidents  in  his  life,  and  of 
his  public  services,  which  would  claim  a  place  in  a  full  and  complete 
biography,  are  necessarily  omitted.  The  circumstances  of  his  early  edu- 
cation, and  the  course  of  his  travels  and  studies  when  abroad,  have 
been  detailed  with  some  minuteness,  from  a  belief  that  every  intelligent 
and  reflecting  reader  will  be  curious  to  trace  the  progress,  and  ascer- 
tain the  means  by  which  such  a  character  has  been  formed. 

Besides  the  professional  and  political  honors  to  which  he  has  attain- 
ed, Governor  EVERETT  is  a  member  of  various  scientific  and  literary 
institutions  at  home  and  abroad.  He  is  familiarly  acquainted,  not  only 
with  the  ancient  monuments  of  learning,  but  with  the  languages  and 
literature  of  the  principal  modern  nations ;  and  is  understood,  amidst 
the  cares  of  office,  to  keep  fresh  and  bright  all  his  acquirements  of 
erudition  and  taste.  As  a  politician,  he  may,  perhaps,  encounter  the 
prejudices  of  some  ;  but  as  a  man  of  genius  and  learning,  a  finished 
scholar  and  accomplished  gentleman,  an  ardent  republican,  a  promoter 
of  his  country's  welfare,  and  a  defender  of  its  honor,  he  is  undoubtedly 
regarded  with  liberal  and  just  pride,  and  a  sincere  good-will,  by  all 
his  countrymen,  of  every  party,  and  in  every  part  of  the  land. 

c.  w.  u. 


-awing  by  .1 K  LonC^oc  after  as>.  cngnal  ftrfrsut  by  J 


SAMUEL  CHASE. 

THE  REV.  THOMAS  CHASE,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  these  pages, 
was  the  only  son  of  Samuel  Chase,  of  a  highly  respectable  family  in 
Great  Britain.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  Thomas  was  sent  to  Eaton  Col- 
lege, where,  by  his  close  application  and  untiring  zeal,  he  became  a 
proficient  in  the  Latin  and  Hebrew  languages,  and  soon  after  he  receiv- 
ed the  honors  of  the  College.  The  professorship  of  those  languages 
was  tendered  to  him,  which  he  gladly  accepted,  as  his  father  had  lately 
suffered  some  loss  in  his  pecuniary  affairs. 

In  1738  he  fled  from  the  persecution  of  Cromwell  to  the  Island  of 
Jamaica,  where  he  practised  physic,  which  science  he  had  studied  dur- 
ing his  leisure  hours  at  Eaton.  He  remained  in  Jamaica  but  a  few 
months,  whence  he  sailed  to  the  American  Colonies  ;  and  Somerset 
County,  Maryland,  was  the  place  he  chose  for  his  residence. 

In  January,  1740,  he  was  married  to  Matilda  Walker,  the  daughter 
of  a  respectable  farmer.  The  fruit  of  this  union  was  one  son  ;  and 
the  day  that  presented  Mr.  CHASE  an  heir  deprived  him  of  his  amiable 
helpmate. 

In  1743  Mr.  T.  Chase  was  honored  with'  the  appointment  of  rec- 
tor of  St.  Paul's  parish  in  Baltimore,  whither  he  removed  with  his  in- 
fant son,  who  had  received  the  name  of  SAMUEL. 

Deprived  of  the  tender  care  of  a  mother,  SAMUEL  was  the  sole  ob- 
ject of  his  father's  love,  and  under  the  direction  of  this  kind  parent  he 
received  his  education. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  went  to  Annapolis,  where  he  studied  law 
under  the  direction  of  John  Hammond  and  John  Hall ;  and  in  1761  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Provincial  Courts. 

The  year  following  he  was  united  to  Miss  Anne  Baldwin  of  An- 
napolis, a  lady  of  distinguished  merit,  pious,  amiable,  affable  and 
courteous.  This  union  was  blessed  with  six  children,  two  only  of 
whom  are  now  living — SAMUEL  CHASE,  his  second  son,  at  present 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

holding  an  office  of  judge  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  Miss  Anne 
Chase. 

Mr.  CHASE  soon  became  distinguished  as  a  lawyer,  and  engaged 
with  great  zeal  in  opposing  the  odious  and  oppressive  measures  of 
Great  Britain. 

In  1764  he  commenced  his  public  life  in  the  General  Assembly 
of  Maryland,  and  was  an  active  member  of  that  body  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years. 

He  was  among  the  first  opposers  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  engaged, 
in  the  most  decisive  manner,  to  frustrate  its  malignant  effects.  He 
was  one  of  the  framers  of  the  famous  «  Declaration  of  Rights  of  Mary- 
land," and  its  firm  supporter. 

His  leisure  hours  were  also  devoted  to  his  country,  in  arousing  the 
people  to  a  sense  of  their  wrongs  by  essays  and  pamphlets. 

In  1774  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  first  Congress. 

In  1776  he  was  again  chosen  to  represent  Maryland  in  the  gene- 
ral Congress ;  and  it  may  be  said  that  Maryland,  who  had  refused 
her  consent,  was  induced  by  his  entreaties  to  unite  in  declaring  the 
United  States  free  and  independent. 

:  His  whole  conduct  in  this  Assembly  was  marked  by  activity  and 
zeal,  and  a  firm  adherence  to  the  principles  of  liberty  breathed  forth 
in  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

The  name  of  CHASE  is  found  on  many  of  the  most  important  com- 
mittees, and  he  was  ever  at  his  post. 

In  1782  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  Maryland,  Agent  and 
Trustee  of  the  State  of  Maryland  to  recover  the  stock  in  the  Bank  of 
England  owned  by  the  State  ;  and  for  this  purpose  he  proceeded  to 
England,  where  he  remained  one  year,  enjoying  the  intimacy  of  Fox, 
Pitt,  Burke,  and  other  great  luminaries  of  the  day.  It  would  not  be 
amiss  here  to  state  that  the  late  William  Pinckney  was  a  student  in  his 
office  at  this  time.  Young  Pinckney  styled  Mr.  CHASE  his  "  Patron 
and  his  Friend." 

In  March,  1783,  Mr.  CHASE  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Kilty 
Giles  of  London,  by  whom  he  had  two  daughters;  the  eldest,  Eliza, 
the  widow  of  Dr.  Skip  with  Coale,  now  residing  in  Baltimore ;  and  Mary, 
his  second  daughter,  who  was  married  to  the  eldest  son  of  Commodore 
Barney,  and  who  has  proved  herself  an  American  matron,  worthy  to  be 
the  daughter  of  Judge  CHASE  and  daughter-in-law  of  a  hero. 

In  1786  the  liberality  of  the  late  Col.  John  Eager  Howard  induced 
him  to  remove  to  Baltimore. 

In  1791  he  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  General  Court  of  Maryland, 


SAMUEL  CHASE. 

and  in  1793  he  received  the  appointment  of  Judge  of  the  Criminal  Court 
for  Baltimore  County  ;  but  it  being  thought  unconstitutional  to  hold 
these  two  offices,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  General  Court. 

In  1796  General  Washington  offered  him  a  seat  on  the  Bench  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  It  was  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  in  this  Court  that  faction  armed  his  opponents,  and  he  was 
arraigned  at  the  bar  of  his  country  to  defend  his  slandered  character. 
His  defence  on  this  occasion  has  been  pronounced  the  most  able  pro- 
duction of  the  bar  of  this  country ;  Aaron  Burr,  then  Vice-President  of 
the  United  States,  presided  at  this  trial ;  and  the  even-handed  justice  he 
dealt  out  was  ever  a  subject  of  praise  by  Mr.  CHASE. 

The  late  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  in  a  letter  dated  May  6th,  1834,  to 
one  of  Judge  CHASE'S  descendants,  writes  of  Judge  CHASE  : — 

"  He  possessed  a  strong  mind,  great  legal  knowledge,  and  was  a  valu- 
able judge,  whose  loss  was  seriously  felt  by  his  survivors. 

"  He  was  remarkable  also  for  his  vivacity  and  companionable  quali- 
ties. He  said  [many  things  which  were  much  admired  at  the  time, 
but  I  have  not  treasured  them  in  my  memory  so  as  to  be  able  to  com- 
municate them." 

Judge  Duvall,  in  a  letter  of  the  same  date,  writes  : — 

"  I  knew  Judge  CHASE  intimately,  from  the  year  1775  until  the  time 
of  his  decease.  At  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  Mr.  CHASE, 
as  an  advocate  at  the  bar,  was  at  least  on  a  level  with  the  ablest  law- 
yers in  Maryland,  and  in  my  judgment  he  never  had  a  superior. 

"  He  was  constantly  engaged  in  public  life,  and  in  legislative  as- 
semblies he  was  more  able  and  powerful  than  at  the  bar. 

"  The  late  Chancellor  Hanson  always  said  that  Mr.  CHASE  was  the 
ablest  speaker  he  ever  heard  in  a  legislative  assembly  ;  and  Mr.  Han- 
son was  capable  of  forming  a  correct  opinion. 

«  His  knowledge  increased  with  his  years.  During  the  Revolutionary 
contest  it  may  be  said  with  truth,  that  in  Maryland  he  was  the  fore- 
most in  supporting  American  rights.  Always  at  his  post  in  the 
legislature,  he  took  the  lead :  and  his  talents  enabled  him  to  be  for- 
midable and  influential.  His  zeal  and  patriotism  led  him  into  many 
political  controversies,  all  of  which  he  maintained  with  ability. 

"  Mr.  CHASE'S  opinions  as  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  are  held  in 
high  estimation.  Whilst  on  the  bench  of  the  General  Court  of  Mary- 
land, his  opinions  were  applauded.  He  was  an  able  civilian  and 
jurist. 

"  The  truth  of  these  general  remarks,  as  to  Mr.  CHASE'S  character 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

is  known  to  every  man  who  lived  in  his  time  and  during  the  revo- 
lution." 

In  his  private  life  he  was  a  kind  husband,  a  fond  parent,  and  a  le- 
nient master.  For  many  months  he  had  suffered  under  a  severe  dis- 
ease, ossification  of  the  heart,  and  had  purposed  a  journey  to  the 
North  for  the  benefit  of  his  health  ;  but  on  the  day  previous  he  was 
taken  suddenly  ill,  he  called  for  writing  materials,  but  it  was  too  late  ; 
and  he  died  without  making  a  will,  on  the  19th  of  June,  1811,  at  the 
mature  age  of  seventy  years,  a  great  and  good  man. 


SIMON     KENTON. 


To  many  of  our  readers  the  name  of  General  SIMON  KENTON  is  now 
probably  presented  for  the  first  time:  he  belonged  to  a  class  of 
hardy  pioneers,  to  whose  exertions  and  privations  the  present  race  of 
civilized  man  in  the  west  is  greatly  indebted.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  white  men  who  planted  com  in  the  now  great  and  wealthy  state 
of  Kentucky;  as  such,  we  have  in  his  biography  to  deal  with  "hair 
breadth  'scapes,"  and  the  usual  amount  of  deadly  warfare,  which 
characterized  the  period  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio.  To  preserve  from  oblivion  the  characters  of  men  who  were 
the  instruments  to  prepare  the  way  for  peopling  the  western  states, 
is  the  duty  of  the  biographer.  SIMON  KENTON'S  memory  and  brave 
conduct  should  be  cherished,  and  his  name  should  descend  to  pos- 
terity with  those  of  Boon,  Clark,  and  others. 

Our  hero  was  born  in  the  month  of  March,  1755,  in  Fauquier 
county,  Virginia.  His  father  emigrated  from  Ireland,  and  his 
mother  was  of  Scottish  descent,  her  ancestors  having  been  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Virginia.  His  parents  being  in  middling  circum- 
stances, he  was  employed  till  the  age  of  sixteen  in  the  cultivation 
of  corn  and  tobacco.  At  that  period  an  incident  occurred  which 
changed  the  destiny  of  his  future  life. 

One  of  his  father's  neighbors,  named  Veach,  had  a  son  who  mar- 
ried a  lady  to  whom  young  KENTON  was  attached ;  some  circum- 
stances occurred  at  the  wedding,  which  Simon  attended  without 
inv/ation,  that  were  construed  by  him  into  an  affront;  he  was 
struck  during  the  evening  by  William  Veach,  while  in  the  act  of 
drinking  ;  and  not  content  with  this  indignity,  while  prostrate  from 
the  blow,  William  gave  him  a  severe  beating,  which  sent  him  home 
with  black  eyes  and  sore  bruises.  He  felt  himself  disgraced,  and 
in  silence  determined  to  be  revenged.  Watching  his  opportunity, 
he  soon  after  found  himself  alone  with  Veach,  and  challenged  him 
to  the  combat.  He  would  accept  of  no  apology.  Being  victorious 
over  his  fallen  adversary,  KENTON,  roused  by  the  remembrance  of 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  insult  to  double  fury,  exhibited  so  little  mercy  to  his  foe,  that 
when  his  anger  was  expended  he  was  greatly  alarmed  at  the  ap- 
pearance of  Veach,  whom  he  thought,  from  his  inanimate  features, 
must  be  dead.  Perceiving  no  signs  of  returning  life,  and  greatly 
alarmed  at  the  consequences  of  his  blind  fury,  he  started  for  home. 
By  the  way,  reflection  on  the  consequences  of  his  conduct  filled  him 
with  alarm;  the  horrors  of  punishment,  and  probably  of  the  gibbet, 
overcame  his  resolution  of  returning,  and  he  resolved  on  instant 
flight.  Without  waiting  to  see  and  consult  his  parents  or  friends, 
he  struck  off  in  a  northwestern  direction,  and  crossed  the  Alleghany 
mountains  on  the  6th  of  April,  1771.  At  Ise's  ford  he  changed  his 
name  to  that  of  Simon  Butler.  A  prey  to  remorse  at  having  committed 
a  crime  so  contrary  to  his  natural  disposition,  he  fell  in  with  three 
men  who  were  preparing  to  descend  the  Ohio  river ;  and  having 
previously  by  his  labor  procured  a  good  rifle,  he  joined  the  party, 
and  proceeded  to  Fort  Pitt,  (now  Pittsburg.)  Here  he  formed  a 
friendship  with  the  notorious  Simon  Girty,  who  was  the  means,  at 
a  future  period,  of  his  rescue  from  the  Indians  when  doomed  to  the 
stake.  The  party  he  had  joined  being  given  up,  KENTON  associated 
himself  with  another,  and  descended  the  river,  occasionally  stopping 
at  any  point  where  pleasure  or  the  prospect  of  game  tempted  them 
to  halt,  hunting,  trapping,  or  dancing  with  the  Indian  girls,  until 
they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kenawha,  and  thence  up 
Elk  river,  where  they  built  a  camp  and  employed  the  winter  in 
trapping.  In  the  spring  of  1772,  they  descended  the  river  to  the 
Ohio,  where  they  sold  their  peltry  to  a  French  trader,  and  procured 
ammunition  and  clothing. 

Left  now  for  a  year  in  doubt  as  to  the  fact  of  his  being  a  mur- 
derer, he  appears  to  have  conceived  that,  as  he  intended  no  such 
act,  he  was  in  reality  not  guilty ;  his  anxiety  was  all  turned  upon 
those  whom  he  had  left  in  ignorance  of  his  own  fate.  The  summer 
of  1772  was  passed  in  hunting,  and  the  winter  in  the  old  camp, 
where  in  March  the  party  was  surprised  by  Indians,  and  one  of 
their  number  killed;  the  others  escaped  with  their  lives,  leaving 
every  thing  else  to  their  enemy.  With  legs  and  bodies  lacerated 
and  inflamed,  KENTON  and  a  companion,  on  the  sixth  day,  met  an- 
other party  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kenawha,  by  whom  they  were 
received  with  kindness.  Their  wounds  being  dressed,  they  entered 
the  employment  of  Mr.  Briscoe,  then  endeavouring  to  form  a  set- 
tlement on  the  Great  Kenawha,  contemporaneously  with  the  found- 
ing of  Wheeling,  Grave  Creek,  and  Long  Reach.  KENTON  again 


SIMON  KENTON. 

employed  his  first  earnings  in  procuring  a  good  rifle,  and  imme- 
diately joined  a  trapping  party  and  proceeded  to  the  Ohio.  After 
various  adventures,  we  find  him,  in  1774,  when  an  Indian  Avar  be- 
came inevitable,  with  the  other  strollers  on  the  river  retreating  to 
Fort  Pitt.  Lord  Dunmore,  governor  of  Virginia,  having  raised  an 
army  to  chastise  the  aggressors,  KENTON  was  employed  as  a  spy  to 
precede  the  troops  and  report  the  condition  of  the  country.  The 
army  crossed  the  Ohio  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hockhocking,  and 
cautiously  proceeded  to  the  Pickaway  towns,  on  the  Scioto,  where 
the  natives  sued  for  peace.  No  sooner  was  this  granted  and  the 
troops  safely  ensconced  in  Fort  Pitt,  than  the  treaty  was  broken, 
and  Colonel  Lewis  was  sent  to  enforce  the  articles  or  chastise  the 
enemy,  and  KENTON'S  services  were  again  in  requisition.  On  his 
discharge  he  turned  to  his  old  pursuit  of  trapping,  in  the  course  of 
which,  finding  a  fine  cane-growing  tract  of  land  back  of  Limestone, 
now  Maysville,  in  Kentucky,  the  party  formed  a  camp,  and  with 
their  tomahawks  commenced  clearing  a  small  piece  of  ground:  from 
the  remains  of  some  corn,  procured  from  a  French  trader  for  the 
purpose  of  parching,  they  selected  a  small  quantity,  and  planted,  it 
is  believed,  the  first  corn  on  the  north  side  of  Kentucky  river. 
Tending  their  crop  with  no  other  implement  than  their  tomahawks, 
they  remained  undisputed  masters  of  the  soil  until  they  had  the 
pleasure  of  eating  roasting  ears  and  of  seeing  their  infant  plantation 
produce  the  ripened  fruit.  This  spot,  called  Kenton's  station,  was 
about  one  mile  from  the  present  town  of  Washington,  in  Mason 
county. 

On  making  an  excursion  in  search  of  buffalo,  then  roving  in  vast 
herds  in  Kentucky,  he  met  another  settler,  named  Stoner,  who 
advised  him  to  try  a  spot  further  south,  and  he  passed  the  winter 
forty-five  miles  from  his  late  residence.  In  the  spring,  the  American 
revolution  being  in  progress,  and  the  natives  stimulated  by  the 
British  to  destroy  the  infant  settlements,  the  white  men  were 
obliged  to  flee.  KENTON  joined  Major  (afterwards  General)  George 
Rogers  Clark,  sent  out  by  Virginia  to  protect  the  settlers.  On  their 
return  with  a  party  from  an  excursion,  made  to  bring  in  a  supply 
of  ammunition  that  had  been  deposited  on  an  island  in  the  Ohio  by 
Major  Clark,  they  found  the  people  at  their  fort  in  such  a  state  of 
alarm,  from  a  recent  attack  of  the  savages,  that  it  was  resolved  to 
abandon  it  and  join  the  station  called  Harrod's,  where  a  terrible 
siege  was  sustained  with  unflinching  courage,  in  the  midst  of  alarms 
and  carnage.  KENTON  again  accepted  the  office  of  spy,  or  scout, 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

and  by  his  faithful  discharge  of  his  arduous  duties,  proved  himself 
worthy  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him ;  he  was  always  successful 
in  giving  the  fort  timely  notice  of  a  meditated  attack,  and  to  assist 
in  preparing  for  defence.  If  we  had  space  to  describe  the  perilous 
encounters  between  KENTON  and  the  Indians  at  this  period,  our 
narrative  would  present  a  series  of  daring  deeds  and  courageous 
effort  quite  equal  to  the  most  renowned  in  western  annals.  The 
sufferings  of  the  garrison  were  extreme ;  their  cattle  were  carried 
off  or  destroyed,  and  neither  corn  nor  other  vegetables  could  be 
cultivated. 

KENTON  now  accompanied  Major  Clark  on  an  expedition  to 
Okaw,  or  Kaskaskia,  where  they  surprised  the  French  commander, 
and  took  possession  of  the  fort.  He  was  then  despatched  to  ascer- 
tain the  strength  of  the  fort  at  Vincennes,  which  having  accom- 
plished after  three  days'  lurking  in  the  neighbourhood,  he  sent  one 
of  his  companions  with  the  intelligence  to  Clark,  while  he  and  an- 
other prosecuted  their  journey  to  Harrodsburgh.  He  then  joined 
several  expeditions  under  Daniel  Boon,  and  signalized  his  courage 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  that  celebrated  pioneer. 

Ease  becoming  irksome  to  our  hero,  in  1778,  he  joined  Alexander 
Montgomery  and  George  Clark  in  an  expedition  to  Ohio,  with  the 
avowed  purpose  of  obtaining  horses  from  the  Indians ;  proceeding 
cautiously  to  Chillicothe,  they  fell  in  with  a  drove  of  horses  that 
were  feeding  in  the  rich  prairies,  and  capturing  seven,  travelled  at 
full  speed  for  the  river.  On  reaching  the  Ohio,  the  horses  refused 
to  breast  the  surge  raised  by  a  high  wind.  Satisfied  that  they  were 
pursued,  they  were  about  to  cross  and  leave  their  prizes,  but  un- 
willing to  abandon  their  valuable  capture,  they  were  endeavouring 
to  collect  them  for  another  attempt,  when  KENTON  heard  a  whoop 
which  alarmed  him  for  the  safety  of  the  party.  Tying  his  horse,  he 
crept  with  stealthy  tread  to  observe  his  enemy.  Just  as  he  reached 
the  high  bank  he  met  the  Indians  on  horseback ;  raising  his  trusty 
rifle,  he  took  aim  at  the  foremost  rider;  his  gun  flashed,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  retreat.  Amidst  fallen  trees,  he  was  in  a  fair  way 
to  elude  his  pursuers,  when  a  warrior  pounced  upon  him,  and  a 
second  slipping  behind  him,  clasped  him  in  his  arms.  Overpowered 
by  numbers,  he  surrendered  after  a  desperate  resistance.  Montgo- 
mery boldly  attempted  his  rescue,  but  was  shot,  and  his  bloody 
scalp  exhibited  in  triumph  to  the  prisoner.  Clark  made  his  escape. 
The  captive  was  treated  in  the  usual  brutal  manner,  tied  to  an 
unruly  horse,  and  marched  back  towards  the  village.  At  night  he 


SIMON  KENTON. 

was  laid  on  his  back,  his  legs  extended,  drawn  apart,  and  fastened 
to  two  saplings  or  stakes,  while  his  arms  were  extended  and  made 
fast  to  a  pole.  A  rope  was  fastened  round  his  neck  and  tied  to 
another  stake.  In  this  miserable  state  he  passed  three  wretched 
nights,  a  prey  to  gnats,  mosquetoes,  and  the  cold.  On  arriving  at  Old 
Town,  or  Chillicothe,  he  was  beaten  in  the  most  cruel  manner,  and 
doomed  to  run  the  gauntlet.  Breaking  through  the  lines  of  warriors, 
each  armed  with  a  hickory  whip,  he  was  about  to  escape  to  the  town 
for  refuge,  when  an  idle  Indian  fresh  for  the  chase,  whom  he  met, 
soon  overtook  and  threw  him.  In  a  moment  the  whole  party  in 
pursuit  came  up,  and  fell  to  cuffing  and  kicking  him  with  all  their 
fury ;  his  clothes  were  all  stripped  from  him,  and  he  was  left  naked 
and  exhausted.  Some  humane  squaws  revived  him  with  food,  and 
he  was  taken  to  the  council  house  to  be  tried  for  his  life. 

Sentence  of  death  was  formally  passed  upon  the  prisoner,  and  his 
place  of  execution  it  was  resolved  should  be  Wepatomika,  (now 
Zanesville.)  Next  morning  he  was  hurried  away  to  the  place  of 
execution,  and  on  the  road  was  severely  whipped  and  maltreated. 
Attempting  to  escape,  he  was  caught  and  more  closely  pinioned ; 
the  young  men  rolled  him  in  the  mud,  and  brought  him  to  the  brink 
of  the  grave.  At  Wapatomika,  among  others  who  came  to  see  him 
was  his  quondam  acquaintance  Simon  Girty,  who  recognised  KEN- 
TON,  and  by  his  influence  and  eloquence  in  the  council,  persuaded 
the  Indians  to  give  him  into  his  charge.  With  him  he  lived  a  wild, 
Indian-like  life  for  some  time,  but  the  savages  having  returned  from 
an  unsuccessful  foray,  sent  for  KENTON,  and  at  a  grand  council  he 
was  again  sentenced  to  die,  all  the  efforts  of  Girty  proving  on  this 
occasion  unavailing ;  he,  however,  finally  persuaded  them  to  con- 
vey their  prisoner  to  Sandusky,  where  vast  numbers  would  be  col- 
lected to  receive  their  presents  from  the  British  government ;  to  this 
place  he  was  conducted  by  five  Indians ;  on  the  route,  the  compas- 
sion of  the  celebrated  chief,  Logan,  was  excited  in  his  behalf,  and 
at  Logan's  instigation,  a  Canadian  Frenchman  appeared  at  the 
council  of  Upper  Sandusky,  who  succeeded  in  having  him  taken  to 
Detroit  and  delivered  up  as  a  prisoner  of  war  to  the  British. 

At  Detroit,  KENTON  was  handed  over  to  the  commanding  officer, 
and  lodged  in  the  fort  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  The  British  officer 
gave  the  Indians  some  remuneration  for  his  life,  and  they  left  him 
free  from  apprehensions  of  the  faggot  and  the  tomahawk.  His 
health  was  soon  restored.  Drawing  half  rations  from  the  British, 
he  earned  some  money  by  dint  of  hard  work.  Leisure  from  scenes 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

of  active  life  was,  however,  not  consonant  with  his  feelings  or 
habits,  and  the  winter  of  1778-79  passed  heavily.  Among  the 
prisoners  were  some  of  his  old  associates,  with  two  of  whom  KEN- 
TON  concerted,  in  the  spring,  a  plan  of  escape.  In  this  they  were 
aided  by  a  lady  of  the  place,  the  wife  of  an  Indian  trader,  named 
Harvey,  who  had  formed  a  friendship  for  one  of  them.  By  her 
assistance,  guns,  ammunition,  and  food,  were  procured  and  secreted 
in  a  hollow  tree  near  the  town.  Early  one  morning  they  left  De- 
troit. Steering  their  course  by  the  stars,  they  eluded  pursuit  and 
gained  the  prairie,  where  they  depended  for  sustenance  on  their 
rifles.  In  thirty-three  days  they  reached  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  in 
July,  1779. 

KENTON  thence  proceeded  to  Vincennes  to  join  his  old  companion 
in  arms,  General  Clark:  alone  he  traversed  the  whole  distance 
without  any  serious  adventure;  but  finding  the  fort  in  a  state  of 
inglorious  quiet,  he  returned.  He  distinguished  himself  during  the 
invasion  of  Kentucky  by  the  British  and  Indians  in  1779,  having 
been  appointed  a  captain,  and  commanding  an  active  and  numerous 
company  of  volunteers,  principally  from  Harrod's  station,  who 
traversed  the  untrodden  wilderness  and  drove  all  opposition  before 
them. 

After  the  disbanding  of  his  company,  KENTON  remained  in  the 
employ  of  the  several  stations  till  1782.  At  this  period  he  heard, 
for  the  first  time,  from  his  long-abandoned  parents,  and  learned 
that  William  Veach  had  recovered  and  was  still  living.  He  now 
assumed  his  own  name,  and  after  commanding  another  successful 
expedition  against  the  marauding  Indians  on  the  Great  Miami,  he 
returned  to  Harrod's,  and  having  acquired  some  valuable  lands, 
concluded  to  make  a  settlement  on  a  fertile  spot  on  Salt  river.  A 
few  families  joined  him,  reared  block-houses,  cleared  some  ground, 
and  planted  com;  which  being  gathered,  he  concluded  to  visit  his 
parents.  After  thirteen  years  absence,  passed  amidst  scenes  of  great 
privation  and  suffering,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  his  father 
and  all  his  family  living.  He  visited  Veach,  and  their  old  quarrel 
was  mutually  forgiven.  His  glowing  descriptions  of  the  fertility  of 
Kentucky  induced  his  parents  to  accompany  him  on  his  return,  and 
the  family  set  out  for  the  promised  land,  but  his  father  died  ere  their 
journey  was  accomplished.  KENTON  remained  at  Salt  river  till 
July,  1784,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the  growth  of  his 
settlement,  to  which  numerous  emigrants  now  flocked.  He  thence 
removed  to  near  Maysville,  where  he  formed  the  first  permanent 


SIMON  KENTON. 

station  on  the  northeast  side  of  Licking  river.  Throngs  of  emi- 
grants were  attracted  to  the  spot:  the  Indians  were  successfully 
kept  at  bay  by  the  activity  and  intelligence  of  the  master  spirit  oif 
KENTON,  who  was  ever  foremost  when  danger  threatened,  and  who 
was  looked  up  to  as  the  main  dependence  in  case  of  difficulty  or 
discouragement.  His  opponent  was  sometimes  the  celebrated  chief 
Tecumseh,  whose  tact  and  intrepidity  it  was  not  always  in  the 
power  of  our  veteran  to  conquer. 

In  1793,  General  Wayne  came  down  the  Ohio  with  the  regular 
army,  and  formed  an  encampment  below  Cincinnati,  called  Hob- 
son's  choice.  Making  a  requisition  for  men  on  Kentucky,  KENTON 
was,  among  the  number,  placed  as  a  major  at  the  head  of  as  choice 
spirits  as  ever  guarded  a  frontier,  and  was  employed  in  various 
services.  As  little  was  effected  by  this  party,  our  narrative  need  not 
be  detained  in  relating  the  particular  events  of  the  campaign.  The 
Indian  war  was  now  happily  terminated,  and  an  unprecedented 
number  of  emigrants  were  attracted  to  the  shores  of  the  Ohio.  Land 
became  valuable ;  and  as  there  was  great  irregularity  and  want  of 
precision  in  the  first  entries  and  surveys,  the  foundation  was  laid 
for  those  subsequent  disputes  which  have  given  occasion  to  a  series 
of  litigation,  involving  the  hard-earned  estates  of  the  original  set- 
tlers too  frequently  in  ruin.  Although  KENTON  was  considered  one 
of  the  wealthiest  inhabitants  in  real  estate,  yet  one  of  his  land  claims 
failed  after  another,  till  he  was  completely  involved  in  a  labyrinth 
of  lawsuits.  Every  advantage  was  taken  of  his  want  of  education 
and  ignorance  of  the  law,  which  in  a  few  years  stripped  this  honest 
man  of  his  hardly-earned  wealth,  and  sent  him,  in  the  evening  of 
his  days,  penniless  and  dejected,  to  spend  his  few  remaining  years 
in  comparative  poverty  arid  want. 

About  the  year  1800,  he  abandoned  the  soil  which  he  had  ren- 
dered tenantable  by  his  courage  and  endurance,  and  settled  on  the 
waters  of  the  Mad  river,  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  In  1805,  he  was 
made  a  brigadier-general  of  militia.  In  1810,  he  joined  the  Metho- 
dist church,  and  experienced  that  consolation  which  religion  alone 
can  impart. 

In  1812,  when  more  than  sixty  years  of  age,  some  of  his  youthful 
fire  still  remained,  and  he  was  wont  to  converse  with  spirit  of  his 
former  deeds  of  arms.  In  1813,  when  his  old  companion,  Governor 
Shelby,  came  to  Urbana  at  the  head  of  the  Kentucky  troops,  KEN- 
TON  could  remain  no  longer  inactive.  He  mounted  his  horse  and 
joined  the  venerable  governor,  who  gladly  received  him  as  a  privi- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

leged  member  of  his  military  family.  He  crossed  the  lake,  and 
accompanied  General  Harrison  and  Governor  Shelby  to  Maiden, 
and  thence  to  the  Thames ;  was  present  in  the  battle,  and  played 
his  part  with  his  usual  intrepidity.  Here  ended  the  military  career 
of  SIMON  KENTON,  a  man  who  has  probably  passed  through  as 
great  a  variety  of  border  adventures  as  any  of  our  most  renowned 
western  pioneers. 

About  ten  years  since,  the  American  government  awarded  KEN- 
TON  a  meager  pension,  which  secured  him  from  absolute  want  in 
his  declining  years.  His  narrative,  had  it  been  prepared  at  length 
with  suitable  care,  would  have  formed  a  volume  not  less  inte- 
resting than  the  most  marvellous  fiction.  Enough  has  been  here 
related  to  exhibit  the  outlines  of  a  character  remarkable  for  its 
power  of  endurance  and  its  intrepidity.  Like  all  the  hardy  sons  of 
the  west,  KENTON'S  hospitality  was  always  commensurate  with  his 
means :  during  his  prosperity  his  house  was  open  to  the  wealthy 
emigrant  and  the  benighted  traveller.  Many  of  the  descendants  of 
the  earlier  settlers  still  cherish  the  memory  of  his  virtues. 

The  portrait  from  which  our  engraving  has  been  made,  and 
which  is  certified  by  the  immediate  friends  and  neighbours  of  Gene- 
ral KENTON  to  be  a  most  accurate  likeness,  was  taken  at  his  resi- 
dence expressly  for  this  work,  and  but  about  three  months  before 
his  death. 

This  stanch  pioneer,  the  companion  of  Boon,  whose  adventures 
he  emulated  and  equalled,  died  in  Logan,  county,  Ohio,  on  the  3d 
day  of  April,  1836,  aged  about  eighty-two.  How  astonishing  is  it, 
when  we  look  over  Kentucky,  Ohio,  and  the  surrounding  states, 
now  teeming  with  millions  of  civilized  inhabitants,  to  reflect  that 
one  who  wandered  through  them  when  beasts  of  prey  and  the 
more  savage  Indian  were  their  sole  occupants,  has  but  just  fallen 
into  the  grave ! 


ABRAHAM     BALDWIN. 


IT  was  justly  remarked,  by  one*  well  qualified  to  form  a  correct 
estimate  of  the  character  he  described,  when  speaking  of  the  subject 
of  this  notice,  that  "  the  annals  of  our  country  have  rarely  been 
adorned  with  a  character  more  venerable,  or  a  life  more  useful  than 
that  of  ABRAHAM  BALDWIN.  War  brings  its  animation,  and  creates 
its  own  heroes  ;  it  often  rears  them  up  to  fame  with  as  little  assist- 
ance from  native  genius  as  from  study,  or  from  moral  and  political 
virtue.  It  is  in  times  of  peace  that  an  illustrious  name  is  hardest 
earned,  and  most  difficult  to  be  secured,  especially  among  enlight- 
ened republicans,  where  an  equality  of  right  and  rank  leaves  nothing 
to  the  caprice  of  chance  ;  where  every  action  is  weighed  in  its 
proper  balance,  and  every  man  compared  not  only  with  his  neigh- 
bor, but  with  himself;  his  motives  being  tested  by  the  uniform 
tendency  of  his  measures." 

ABRAHAM  BALDWIN  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  November, 
1754,  and  received  his  education,  very  early,  at  the  university  at 
New  Haven.  He  was  one  of  the  best  classical  and  mathematical 
scholars  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  employed  as  one 
of  the  professors  in  this  college  during  the. greater  part  of  the  Ame- 
rican war  ;  at  the  close  of  which  he  began  the  practice  of  law,  and 
went  to  establish  himself  in  the  state  of  Georgia.  He  arrived  at 
Savannah  in  the  beginning  of  1784  ;  he  was  immediately  admitted 
a  counsellor  at  the  Georgia  bar,  and  in  three  months  after  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  state  legislature.  During  the  first  session 
of  that  body  after  his  election,  he  performed  a  service  for  the  people 
of  that  state,  for  which  their  posterity  will  bless  his  memory.  In- 
deed, if  he  had  done  nothing  for  them  since,  this  action  alone  would 
have  immortalized  him  there.  He  originated  the  plan  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Georgia,  drew  up  the  charter,  and  with  infinite  labor  and 


Joel  Barlow. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

patience,  in  vanquishing  all  sorts  of  prejudices  and  removing  every 
obstruction,  he  persuaded  the  assembly  to  adopt  it.  This  instrument 
endowed  the  university  with  forty  thousand  acres  of  excellent  land, 
required  it  to  establish  one  central  seat  for  the  higher  branches  of 
education,  and  a  secondary  college  in  every  county  in  the  state ; 
all  dependant  on  the  principal  seminary. 

These  lands  were  then  uncultivated ;  the  state  itself  was  new. 
Within  a  few  years,  however,  the  rents  of  the  university  lands  ena- 
bled the  trustees  to  erect  the  buildings  and  organize  the  institution. 
Its  principal  seat  was  established  at  Athens,  on  the  Oconee  river, 
and  its  first  president  was  Josiah  Meigs,  a  man  equally  eminent  for 
mathematical  and  chemical  science,  and  legal  and  classical  erudition. 

John  Milledge,  governor  of  the  state,  and  afterward  the  colleague 
of  Mr.  BALDWIN  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  was  associated 
with  him  in  the  labor  of  bringing  forward  this  establishment :  and 
the  trustees  caused  to  be  erected  and  placed  within  the  walls  of  the 
first  college,  a  marble  monument  to  Baldwin  as  founder  of  the  insti- 
tution, and  to  Milledge,  his  associate.  Nor  is  this  the  only  instance 
in  which  we  find  their  names  connected  by  monumental  acts  of 
public  authority.  Milledgeville  is  the  shire  town  of  Baldwin 
county,  and  the  seat  of  the  state  government. 

Mr.  BALDWIN  had  not  been  two  years  in  Georgia  when  he  was 
elected  member  of  congress.  This  was  in  1785,  to  take  his  seat  in 
1786 ;  from  that  time  till  the  day  of  his  death,  he  was,  without  a 
moment's  intermission,  a  member  of  congress  from  that  state,  either 
as  delegate  under  the  old  constitution,  until  the  year  1 789 ;  repre- 
sentative under  the  new,  until  the  year  1799;  and  senator  from  that 
time  till  his  death.  And  the  term  for  which  he  was  last  elected  had 
still  four  years  to  run  from  the  4th  of  March,  1807,  the  day  of  his 
decease. 

There  had  probably  been  no  other  instance  of  such  a  long  and 
uninterrupted  series  of  confidence  and  service  among  the  members 
of  the  American  congress.  And  what  is  more  remarkable,  on  the 
first  day  that  he  was  confined  to  his  house  in  his  last  illness,  only 
eight  days  before  his  death,  he  told  his  friends  that  during  his 
twenty-two  years  of  public  service,  that  day,  according  to  his  best 
recollection,  was  the  first  that  he  had  been  absent  from  his  public 
duties. 

Mr.  BALDWIN  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that  framed  the 
present  constitution  of  the  United  States.  This  he  always  considered 
as  the  greatest  service  that  he  ever  performed  for  his  country ;  and 


ABRAHAM  BALDWIN. 

his  estimate  is  doubtless  just.  He  was  an  active  member  of  that 
most  illustrious  and  meritorious  body.  Their  deliberations  were  in 
secret ;  but  we  have  good  authority  for  saying,  that  some  of  the 
essential  clauses  of  the  invaluable,  and  we  hope  everlasting,  com- 
pact, which  they  presented  to  their  country,  owe  their  origin  and 
insertion  to  ABRAHAM  BALDWIN. 

His  manner  of  conducting  public  business  was  worthy  of  the 
highest  commendation;  he  may  have  wanted  ambition  to  make 
himself  brilliant,  but  he  never  wanted  industry  to  render  himself 
useful.  His  oratory  was  simple,  forcible,  convincing.  His  maxim 
of  never  asserting  any  thing  but  what  he  believed  to  be  true,  could 
not  fail  to  be  useful  in  carrying  conviction  to  others.  Patient  of 
contradiction,  and  tolerant  to  the  wildest  opinions,  he  could  be  as 
indulgent  to  the  errors  of  judgment  in  other  men,  as  if  he  had  stood 
the  most  in  need  of  such  indulgence  for  himself. 

During  the  violent  agitation  of  parties,  he  was  always  moderate, 
but  firm;  relaxing  nothing  in  his  republican  principles,  but  retaining 
all  possible  charity  for  his  former  friends,  who  might  be  supposed 
to  have  abandoned  theirs.  He  lived  without  reproach,  and  proba- 
bly died  without  an  enemy. 

The  state  of  society  would  be  rendered  much  better  than  it  is,  if 
the  private  lives  of  virtuous  men  could  be  as  well  known  as  their 
public  lives ;  that  they  might  be  kept  clearly  in  view  as  objects  of 
imitation.  We  are  creatures  of  habit,  and  our  habits  are  formed  as 
much  by  repeating  after  others  as  after  ourselves.  Men,  therefore, 
mistake  a  plain  moral  principle  when  they  suppose  it  meritorious 
to  conceal  their  good  actions  from  the  eye  of  the  world.  On  the 
contrary,  it  is  a  part  of  their  duty  to  let  such  actions  be  known  ; 
that  they  may  extend  their  benefits  by  a  sort  of  reproduction,  and 
be  multiplied  by  imitation. 

Mr.  BALDWIN'S  private  life  was  full  of  beneficent  and  charitable 
deeds,  which  he  was  too  studious  to  conceal  from  public  notice. 
Having  never  been  married,  he  had  no  family  of  his  own ;  and  his 
constant  habits  of  economy  and  temperance,  left  him  the  means  of 
assisting  many  young  men  in  their  education  and  their  establishment 
in  business.  Besides  which,  his  father's  family  presented  an  ample 
field  for  his  benevolence.  Six  orphans,  his  half-brothers  and  sisters, 
were  left  to  his  care  by  the  father's  death  in  the  year  1787;  and 
the  estate  that  was  to  support  them  proved  insolvent.  He  paid  the 
debts  of  the  estate,  quit-claimed  his  proportion  to  these  children, 
and  educated  them  all  in  a  great  measure  at  his  own  expense. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Mr.  BALDWIN  was  less  distinguished  by  the  brilliancy  of  his 
talents,  or  acuteness  of  reasoning,  than  by  his  strength  of  mind  and 
soundness  of  judgment ;  slow  and  deliberate  in  making  up  his 
conclusions,  he  examined  thoroughly  every  subject  on  which  he 
acted,  but  when  he  became  satisfied  as  to  the  correct  course,  no 
one  followed  it  in  a  more  undeviating  line.  He  measured  every 
question,  whether  of  principle  or  policy,  by  what  he  deemed  to  be 
established  rules  in  the  organization  and  administration  of  govern- 
ment, as  developed  in  the  political  history  of  the  mother  country, 
the  colonies,  and  states,  and  embodied  in  their  several  constitutions. 

Having  served  in  the  revolutionary  war  as  a  chaplain  in  the 
Connecticut  brigade,  he  acquired  a  practical  knowledge  of  the 
radical  defects  of  the  old  confederation,  in  the  conduct  of  our  mili- 
tary operations :  his  subsequent  experience  in  civil  life,  convinced 
him  of  the  imperious  necessity  of  avoiding  the  imminent  danger  ot 
a  dissolution  of  the  confederacy,  by  the  establishment  of  a  new 
system  of  government  on  the  authority  of  the  people  of  the  states, 
instead  of  that  of  state  legislatures.  Hence,  he  was  the  zealous 
advocate  in  congress  for  a  National  Convention  to  frame  the  con- 
stitution of  a  federal  government,  and  as  a  member  of  that  conven- 
tion, active  in  its  deliberations,  laborious  in  effecting  that  important 
result,  and  afterwards  in  procuring  its  adoption  by  the  people. 
Fully  satisfied  that  in  the  institution  of  "one  new  government  out 
of  thirteen  old  ones,"  with  such  powers  over  each,  and  all,  as  were 
indispensable  for  federal  purposes,  enabling  it  not  only  to  make,  but 
execute  its  own  laws  on  the  enumerated  subjects  which  had  been 
confided  to  its  jurisdiction,  the  greatest  possible  good  had  been 
effected  for  the  country.  Mr.  BALDWIN  constantly  acted  on  this 
conviction.  Looking  to  the  constitution  as  the  bond  of  union, 
which  united  the  states  by  a  law  which  the  people  of  each  had 
declared  to  be  supreme  throughout  the  land,  he  was  in  the  constitu- 
tional sense  of  the  term,  a  federalist ;  as  one  of  its  framers,  he  ap- 
proved of  the  federative  principles  of  the  constitution,  whereby  a 
government  was  instituted  neither  consolidated  nor  popular,  but 
federal  in  its  origin,  organization,  administration,  and  action.  After 
its  adoption  by  the  people,  he  took  it  as  a  fundamental  law,  the 
written  text,  declaring  the  will  of  the  supreme  power,  which  was 
competent  and  had  ordained  it  as  the  standard  rule  of  action  by 
which  to  measure  the  powers  of  the  federal  government,  and  its 
respective  departments,  as  well  as  those  reserved  to  the  several 
states.  Whatever  may  have  been  his  individual  opinion  as  to  any 


ABRAHAM  BALDWIN. 

detailed  provisions,  while  the  convention  were  deliberating  upon 
them,  he  never  suffered  them  to  bias  his  construction ;  nor  with  all 
his  veneration  of  his  illustrious  associates,  did  he  regard  the  sense 
of  that  body  "as  the  oracular  guide  in  expounding  the  constitution." 
He  followed  a  safer  guide,  he  saw  and  read  what  the  convention 
proposed,. and  the  people  adopted  ;  regarding  as  of  little  importance 
the  discussions  which  led  to  the  great  results,  whether  in  the 
meetings  of  the  people,  in  party  writings,  or  the  reasoning  of  the 
members  of  the  general  or  state  conventions.  A  constitution  was 
adopted,  a  constitution  was  to  be  construed,  as  a  written  declaration 
of  the  will  of  sovereign  power.  Mr.  BALDWIN  took  it  as  he  found 
it,  made  it  his  rule  of  action;  following  and  obeying  it  as  a  disciple, 
he  neither  sought  to  enlarge  or  narrow  its  provisions  by  any  theory 
or  doctrine  not  declared  in  terms,  or  by  necessary  consequence 
therefrom. 

Acting  under  the  influence  of  these  principles  throughout  a  long 
course  of  public  service,  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  "  balance  of  the 
federal  constitution;"  he  found  this  balance  by  viewing  all  its  parts, 
reconciling  each  with  the  others,  with  a  steady  determination  "  to 
give  the  greatest  effect  to  them  all,"  according  to  the  plain  import 
and  knowledge  of  the  words  and  terms. 

But  although  Mr.  BALDWIN  was  in  these  respects  a  federalist,  he 
was  in  the  political  sense  of  the  term  a  democrat;  his  principles  of 
government  and  policy,  were  those  which  had  denoted  the  line 
between  the  two  great  parties  into  which  the  country  was  divided 
as  they  were  developed  at  the  organization  of  the  government, 
whether  on  questions  of  power  or  policy.  Considering  the  constitu- 
tion as  a  direct  grant  by  the  people  of  the  several  states,  in  their 
sovereign  capacity  as  each  an  independent  state,  he  gave  it  full  effect 
in  all  things  to  which  its  provisions  extended,  according  to  their 
received  acceptation.  In  assigning  a  meaning  to  any  word  or 
phrase  of  doubtful  import,  he  took  it  in  connexion  with  the  whole 
instrument,  its  bearing  on  other  parts,  considering  words  and 
phrases  as  borrowed  from  former  use,  and  used  in  the  same  sense 
in  which  they  had  always  been  taken.  Though  he  was  from  his 
youth  devoted  to  the  principles  of  the  revolution,  yet  his  patriotism 
was  not  of  that  morbid  and  sensitive  nature,  as  to  prevent  him  from 
resorting  to  English  books  and  laws  to  ascertain  the  definition  of 
terms  which  were  found  in  the  constitution,  as  the  understood  sense 
in  which  they  had  been  adopted  and  used  by  those  who  framed 
and  ratified  that  instrument;  justly  thinking  that  it  could  not  have 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

been  intended  to  give  to  old  words  or  terms  a  new  meaning,  with- 
out some  declaration  to  that  effect.  But  while  he  conceded  to  the 
federal  government  the  exercise  of  its  enumerated  powers  to  the  full 
extent  of  the  grant,  by  a  liberal  rather  than  a  contracted  construction 
of  its  provisions,  he  steadily  refused  his  assent  to  any  measures, 
which,  in  principle  or  operation,  tended  to  impair  the  reserved 
powers  or  rights  of  the  states  or  people,  by  any  train  of  refined  or 
ingenious  reasoning,  or  reference  to  doubtful  authority.  Whenever 
a  question  arose,  involving  any  collision  between  the  relative  powers 
of  the  executive  and  legislative  departments  of  the  government,  he 
uniformly  asserted  the  rights  of  the  latter,  adopting  this  as  a  political 
maxim,  that  "  every  particle  of  law-making  power  in  the  constitu- 
tion granted,  was  vested  in  congress ;"  he  opposed  its  exercise  by 
any  other  department,  in  any  mode  which  partook  of  the  character, 
or  by  any  act  which  could  have  the  effect  of  legislation.  Fully 
convinced  that  the  "balance  of  the  constitution"  consisted  in  the 
steadfast  adherence  to  these  principles,  they  were  his  guide  amidst 
all  the  conflicts  of  party,  and  the  exciting  questions  which  continued 
from  the  organization  of  the  government  to  agitate  the  country.  In 
following  them  he  acquired  and  retained  till  his  death,  the  confi- 
dence of  the  party  to  which  he  was  attached,  the  respect  of  that 
which  he  opposed,  the  approbation  of  the  people  and  state  he  repre- 
sented, and  died  with  the  consciousness  of  having  faithfully  and 
fearlessly  filled  the  measure  of  his  public  duties.. 

His  last  illness  was  so  short,  and  his  death  so  unexpected,  that 
none  of  his  relatives,  except  his  brother-in-law,  were  able  to  be 
present  at  his  funeral.  But  it  seemed  as  if  the  public  in  general 
were  his  near  relatives.  There  have  been  rarely  witnessed  more 
general  and  genuine  marks  of  regret,  at  the  loss  of  any  of  the  great 
benefactors  of  our  country,  particularly  among  the  members  of 
congress  from  Georgia.  In  that  state  his  loss  was  most  deeply  felt, 
though  very  sensibly  perceived  in  the  councils  of  the  union. 
Though  his  funeral  was  two  days  after  congress  dissolved,  many 
members  stayed  expressly  to  attend  it.  His  remains  were  deposited 
by  the  side  of  his  old  friend,  General  James  Jackson,  his  former 
colleague,  whom  he  had  followed  to  the  grave  just  one  year  before. 


JOHN     RANDOLPH. 


THE  interest  excited  by  the  first  appearance  in  public  life  of  JOHN 
RANDOLPH  continued  until  he  had  passed  away  from  among  the 
living,  and  did  not  die  with  him.  His  aboriginal  descent,  extraordi- 
nary eloquence,  and  independent  but  eccentric  course  through  life, 
seemed  to  unite  in  securing  to  every  thing  he  said  or  did,  an  atten- 
tion on  the  part  of  his  countrymen,  which  has  been  given  to  but 
few  of  the  great  American  family.  He  was  born  on  the  2d  of  June, 
1773,  at  Matoax,  the  seat  of  his  father,  three  miles  above  Peters- 
burg, in  the  state  of  Virginia.  His  English  ancestors  were  from 
Yorkshire,  and  he  was  descended,  through  his  paternal  grandmother 
Jane  Boiling,  in  a  direct  line  from  the  celebrated  Pocahontas.  Like 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  and  other  celebrated  men,  he  appears,  from  his  own 
account,  prepared  in  1813  for  a  nephew  who  was  desirous  to  "know 
something  of  his  life,"  to  have  received  a  very  irregular  education. 
He  was  sent  to  a  country  school  at  an  early  age,  where  he  learned 
the  rudiments  of  the  Latin  language,  and  had  mastered  the  Greek 
grammar  perfectly,  when  the  state  of  his  health  induced  his  mother  to 
send  him  to  Bermuda,  where  he  remained  more  than  a  year,  losing 
all  his  Greek,  but  reading  with  great  avidity  many  of  the  best  Eng- 
lish authors.  After  his  return  to  the  United  States,  he  was  sent,  with 
his  brother  Theodorick,  to  Princeton  college,  where  they  entered 
the  grammar  school  in  March,  17S7.  He  there  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Dr.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  the  president  of  the  college, 
who  thought  that  he  found,  in  the  Indian  descent  of  his  pupil,  some 
support  to  a  theory,  which  he  gave  to  the  world  in  an  Essay  more 
remarkable  for  its  ingenuity  than  its  accurate  statement  of  facts.  In 
the  year  1788,  after  the  death  of  his  mother,  he  was  sent  to  college 
in  New  York,  but  returned  to  Virginia  in  the  summer  of  1790 ;  and 
in  the  autumn  of  that  year  came  to  Philadelphia,  with  the  view  of 
studying  law  under  the  direction  of  Edmund  Randolph,  then  re- 
cently appointed  attorney-general  of  the  United  States.  Beyond 
almost  the  first  book  of  Blackstone,  he  seems  to  have  done  nothing 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

towards  being  admitted  to  the  bar ;  and  from  that  time  till  June, 
1794,  when  he  became  of  age,  he  appears  to  have  led  an  irregular, 
desultory  life,  with  scarcely  a  fixed  residence,  and  no  decided  object 
of  pursuit. 

His  reading,  according  to  his  own  account  given  to  a  relative  at 
a  later  period  of  his  life,  is  so  indicative  of  the  man  that  any  attempt 
to  portray  him  would  be  defective  without  it.  "  I  think  you  have 
never  read  Chaucer.  Indeed,  I  have  sometimes  blamed  myself  for 
not  cultivating  your  imagination  when  you  were  young.  It  is  a 
dangerous  quality,  however,  for  the  possessor.  But  if  from  my  life 
were  to  be  taken  the  pleasure  derived  from  that  faculty,  very  little 
would  remain.  Shakspeare  and  Milton,  and  Chaucer  and  Spencer, 
and  Plutarch,  and  the  Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments,  and  Don 
Quixote,  and  Gil  Bias,  and  Tom  Jones,  and  Gulliver,  and  Robinson 
Crusoe, '  and  the  tale  of  Troy  divine,'  have  made  up  more  than  half 
my  worldly  enjoyment.  To  these  ought  to  be  added  Ovid's  Meta- 
morphoses, Ariosto,  Dry  den,  Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  Southern, 
Otway,  Pope's  Rape  and  Eloisa,  Addison,  Young,  Thomson,  Gay, 
Goldsmith,  Gray,  Collins,  Sheridan,  Cowper,  Byron,  Msop,  La 
Fontaine,  Voltaire's  Charles  XII,  Mahomet  and  Zaire,  Rousseau's 
Julie,  Schiller,  Madame  de  Stael — but  above  all,  Burke.  One  of 
the  first  books  I  ever  read  was  Voltaire's  Charles  XII;  about  the 
same  time,  1780 — 1,  Tread  the  Spectator,  and  used  to  steal  away 
to  the  closet  containing  them.  The  letters  from  his  correspondents 
were  my  favorites.  I  read  Humphry  Clinker  also,  that  is  Win's 
and  Tabby's  letters,  with  great  delight ;  for  I  could  spell  at  that  age 
pretty  correctly.  Reynard  the  Fox,  came  next,  I  think ;  then  Tales 
of  the  Genii  and  Arabian  Nights.  This  last,  and  Shakspeare,  were 
my  idols.  I  had  read  them,  with  Don  Quixote,  Gil  Bias,  Quintus 
Curtius,  Plutarch,  Pope's  Homer,  Robinson  Crusoe,  Gulliver,  Tom, 
Jones,  Orlando  Furioso,  and  Thomson's  Seasons,  before  I  was  eleven 
years  of  age  ;  also  Goldsmith's  Roman  History,  2  vols.  8vo.,  and  an 
old  history  of  Braddock's  War.  At  about  eleven,  (1784 — 5,)  Percy's 
Reliques  and  Chaucer  became  great  favorites,  and  Chatterton  and 
Rowley.  I  then  read  Young  and  Gay,  &c.  Goldsmith  I  never  saw 
till  1787."* 

In  1799,  he  made  his  first  appearance  in  public  life  as  a  candi- 
date for  a  seat  in  congress,  and  was  elected.  He  owed  his  success 


*  Letters  to  Dudley,  p.  190. 
2 


JOHN  RANDOLPH. 

to  his  eloquence  alone ;  for  he  possessed  neither  family  influence 
nor  connexion  in  the  district,  and  was  a  mere  boy  in  appear- 
ance. The  all-absorbing  political  questions  arising  out  of  Mr. 
Madison's  celebrated  Virginia  Resolutions  of  1798,  of  which  Mr. 
RANDOLPH  was  a  strenuous  supporter,  were  then  deeply  agitating 
the  country.  Patrick  Henry,  accused  of  having  abandoned  his 
early  principles,  appeared  at  the  same  time,  and  for  the  last  time  in 
his  life,  as  a  candidate  for  the  assembly,  avowedly  in  opposition  to 
the  resolutions ;  for  he  approved  of  the  alien  and  sedition  laws  as 
good  measures.  This  state  of  affairs  brought  these  two  remarkable 
men  before  the  people  in  mutual  opposition;  and  tradition  has 
handed  down  to  us  an  anecdote  characteristic  of  both.  Mr.  RAN- 
DOLPH was  addressing  the  people  inUnswer  to  Colonel  Henry,  when 
a  countryman  said  to  the  latter,  "Come,  colonel,  let  us  go — it  is  not 
worth  while  to  listen  to  that  boy."  "  Stay,  my  friend,"  replied  the 
veteran  statesman,  "  there  is  an  old  man's  head  on  that  boy's 
shoulders." 

Mr.  RANDOLPH  found  the  party  whose  measures  he  supported  in 
the  minority  when  he  entered  congress.  His  fearless  course,  ready, 
sarcastic  wit,  and  general  power  as  a  public  speaker,  soon  placed 
him  among  the  most  distinguished  of  the  opponents  of  the  adminis- 
tration then  in  power,  and  attracted  the  attention  and  admiration 
of  the  party  against  which  they  were  exerted,  as  well  as  of  that  of 
which  he  soon  became  the  leader.  The  records  of  his  exertions  are 
widely  spread  and  scanty,  and  he  pronounced  most  of  the  sketches 
of  his  speeches  to  be  inaccurate.*  No  collection  of  American 
speeches,  however,  has  been  deemed  complete  without  some  of 
them ;  and,  imperfectly  as  they  have  come  to  us,  the  impress  of 
genius  is  upon  them  all. 

With  the  party  which  supported  the  administration  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, Mr.  RANDOLPH,  after  a  time,  found  himself  in  the  majority,  and 
he  was  for  several  sessions  chairman  of  the  committee  of  ways  and 
means.  It  has  been  suggested,  that  with  the  majority  his  efforts 
were  less  propitious  to  his  reputation  than  those  which  arose  from 
the  excitement  of  opposition;  that  business  habits  and  discipline  of 
mind  were  wanting;  and  that  the  position  of  assailant  best  suited 
his  peculiar  disposition,  and  was  his  true  element.  In  1806,  he 


*  "  The  least  inaccurate  sketches  of  my  speeches  will  be  found  in  the  '  Spirit  of  '76,'  but 
they  are  extremely  imperfect." — Letters  to  Dudley,  p.  116. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

joined  the  opposition,  and  is  said  to  have  declared  that  his  own 
opposition  to  the  then  administration  would  be  "  perpetual."  The 
journals  indeed,  of  the  house,  from  the  period  we  have  mentioned, 
exhibit  him  in  the  character  of  its  industrious  assailant ;  and  the 
warfare  which  he  carried  on  against  it,  in  the  shape  of  calls  for  in- 
formation, in  relation  to  the  well  known  allegations  against  General 
Wilkinson,  will  be  long  remembered. 

About  this  period  of  his  life  a  change  came  over  him,  the  cause 
of  which  even  his  friends  could  riot  understand ;  he  became  moody, 
morose,  capricious,  suspicious  of  his  friends,  sarcastic  and  bitter 
towards  those  he  loved  best,  and  a  riddle  to  all  around  him.  This 
state  of  things  was  explained  at  last,  in  1811,  by  a  paroxysm  of 
insanity,  attributable  to  the  ill  health  to  which  he  had  been  subject 
almost  from  the  time  he  arrived  at  manhood,  and  of  which  he  seems 
to  have  had  some  lurking  consciousness  himself.*  Of  this  malady 
he  had  frequent  returns  during  his  lifetime  ;t  but  upon  political  sub- 
jects his  mind  was  clear;  and  many  of  his  constituents  seemed  to 
think  of  him  as  the  Mohammedans  do  of  madmen,  that  on  such  sub- 
jects, at  least,  he  was  inspired,  and  they  might  commit  their  interests 
to  his  charge  with  safety.  It  will  not  be  difficult  to  account,  after 
what  has  been  just  stated,  for  the  numerous  instances  of  eccentricity 
which  were  made  known  to  the  world  through  every  medium,  and 
were  used  as  materials  for  every  sort  of  attack  upon  his  principles 
and  person. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1808,  Mr.  RANDOLPH  united  with  his 
friend  Joseph  Clay,  and  fifteen  other  members  of  congress,  in  a  pro- 
test against  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Madison  for  the  presidency. 
This  proceeding,  which  may  be  considered  as  a  declaration  of  war 
upon  the  administration  which  was  to  follow  the  nomination,  gave 
an  earnest  of  what  his  course  would  be ;  and  he  was  true  to  the 
declaration.  His  speech  on  the  10th  of  December,  1811,  was  di- 
rected against  the  raising  of  an  addition  to  the  army,  and  against 
the  war  against  Great  Britain,  which  he  saw  approaching;  and 
was  strongly  marked  by  the  Jlnglo-mania  which  seems  afterwards 
to  have  attended  him  to  his  last  hour.  He  followed  up  his  speech 
of  the  10th  of  December,  1811,  by  moving  a  resolution,  "that  the 


*  Speech  of  the  10th  of  December,  1811,  in  the  house  of  representatives,  on  the  second 
resolution  of  the  committee  of  foreign  relations,  "  that  an  additional  force  of  ten  thousand 
men  ought  to  be  raised,"  &c. 

f  Letters  to  Dudley,  p.  203,  August,  1818. 

4 


JOHN  RANDOLPH. 

president  of  the  United  States  be  authorized  to  employ  the  regular 
army  of  the  United  States  when  not  engaged  in  actual  service,  and 
when  in  his  judgment  the  public  interest  will  not  be  thereby  injured, 
in  the  construction  of  roads,  canals,  or  other  works  of  public  utility." 
This  resolution  he  supported  in  a  few  but  very  pungent  remarks, 
which,  however,  brought  to  his  aid  but  fourteen  votes;  the  resolu- 
tion, on  the  question  being  taken  on  its  passage,  being  negatived  by 
one  hundred  and  two  members  voting  against,  and  fifteen  for  it. 

To  the  declaration  of  war  itself  he  opposed  all  possible  resistance. 
On  the  29th  of  May,  1812,  he  offered  a  resolution,  "That  under 
existing  circumstances  it  is  inexpedient  to  resort  to  war  against 
Great  Britain."  The  remarks  with  which  Mr.  RANDOLPH  prefaced 
the  introduction  of  this  resolution  led  to  an  angry  debate,  principally 
upon  the  various  questions  of  order  which  arose  out  of  the  subject 
matter  of  the  remarks,  produced  difficulty  between  him  and  the 
speaker,  Mr.  Clay,  whose  decision  against  him  on  the  points  of 
order  was  sustained  by  the  house.  The  prefatory  remarks  to  which 
we  have  alluded,  involved  the  then  existing  state  of  the  public  rela- 
tions of  the  United  States  with  France  and  Great  Britain,  exhibiting 
a  strong  leaning  against  the  former,  and  which,  after  he  had  spoken 
about  an  hour  and  a  half,  were  decided  to  be  out  of  order,  because 
a  member  was  bound  to  submit  his  motion  to  the  house  previously 
to  debating  so  much  at  large.  Mr.  RANDOLPH  chose  to  consider  the 
decision  as  an  "  invention  for  stifling  debate  ;"  and  he  addressed,<on 
the  30th  of  May  1812,  an  appeal  to  his  constituents,  the  freeholders 
of  Charlotte,  Prince  Edward,  Buckingham,  and  Cumberland,  which 
we  give  as  affording  the  best  specimen  of  his  peculiar  views  and 
mode  of  reasoning,  at  the  period  of  its  publication. 

To  the  Freeholders  of  Charlotte,  Prince  Edward,  Buckingham,  and  Cumberland. 

FELLOW  CITIZEJTS. — I  dedicate  to  you  the  following  fragment.  That  it  appears  in  its 
present  mutilated  shape,  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  successful  usurpation  which  has  reduced 
the  freedom  of  speech,  in  one  branch  of  the  American  congress,  to  an  empty  name.  It  is 
now  established  for  the  first  time,  and  in  the  person  of  your  representative,  that  the  house 
may,  and  will  refuse  to  hear  a  member  in  his  place,  or  even  to  receive  a  motion  from  him 
upon  the  most  momentous  subject  that  can  be  presented  for  legislative  decision.  A  similar 
motion  was  brought  forward  by  the  republican  minority  in  the  year  1798,*  before  these 
modern  inventions  for  stifling  freedom  of  debate  were  discovered.  It  was  discussed  as  a 
matter  of  right,  until  it  was  abandoned  by  the  mover  in  consequence  of  additional  informa- 


*  This  motion  was  drawn,  it  is  believed,  by  Mr.  Gallatin,  but  moved  by  Mr.  Sprigg,  de- 
claring it  to  be  inexpedient  at  that  time  to  resort  to  war  against  the  French  republic. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

tion  (the  correspondence  of  our  envoy  at  Paris)  laid  before  congress  by  the  president.  In  the 
"  reign  of  terror,"  the  father  of  the  sedition  law  had  not  the  hardihood  to  proscribe  the 
liberty  of  speech,  much  less  the  right  of  free  debate  on  the  floor  of  congress.  This  invasion 
of  the  public  liberties  was  reserved  for  self-styled  republicans,  who  hold  your  understandings 
in  such  contempt,  as  to  flatter  themselves  that  you  will  overlook  their  every  outrage  upon 
the  great  first  principles  of  free  government,  in  consideration  of  their  professions  of  tender 
regard  for  the  privileges  of  the  people. 

It  is  for  you  to  decide  whether  they  have  formed  a  just  estimate  of  your  character.  You 
do  not  require  to  be  told  that  the  violation  of  the  rights  of  him  whom  you  have  deputed  to 
represent  you  is  an  invasion  of  the  rights  of  every  man  of  you,  of  every  individual  in  society. 
If  this  abuse  be  suffered  to  pass  unredressed — and  the  people  alone  are  competent  to  apply 
the  remedy — we  must  bid  adieu  to  a  free  form  of  government  for  ever ! 

Having  learned  from  various  sources  that  a  declaration  of  war  would  be  attempted  on 
Monday  next,  with  closed  doors,  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  endeavor,  by  an  exercise  of  my 
constitutional  functions,  to  arrest  this  heaviest  of  all  possible  calamities  and  avert  it  from 
our  happy  country.  I  accordingly  made  the  effort  of  which  I  now  give  you  the  result,  and 
of  the  success  of  which  you  will  already  have  been  informed  before  these  pages  can  reach 
you.  I  pretend  only  to  give  you  the  substance  of  my  unfinished  argument. 

The  glowing  words — the  language  of  the  heart — have  passed  away  with  the  occasion 
that  called  them  forth.  They  are  no  longer  under  my  control.  My  design  is  simply  to 
submit  to  you  the  views  which  have  induced  me  to  consider  a  war  with  England,  under 
existing  circumstances,  as  comporting  neither  with  the  INTEREST  nor  the  HONOR  of  the 
American  people,  but  as  an  idolatrous  sacrifice  of  both,  on  the  altar  of  FRENCH  RAPACITT, 

France  has  for  years  past  offered  us  terms  of  undefined  commercial  arrangement,  as  the 
price  of  a  war  with  England,  which  hitherto  we  have  not  wanted  firmness  and  virtue  to 
reject  That  price  is  now  to  be  paid.  We  are  tired  of  holding  out,  and  following  the  ex- 
ample of  the  nations  of  continental  Europe ;  entangled  in  the  artifices,  or  awed  by  the 
power  of  the  destroyer  of  mankind,  we  are  prepared  to  become  instrumental  to  his  projects 
of  universal  dominion.  Before  these  pages  meet  your  eye,  the  last  republic  of  the  earth 
will  have  enlisted  under  the  banners  of  the  tyrant,  and  become  a  party  to  his  cause.  The 
blood  of  the  American  freemen  must  flow  to  cement  his  power,  to  aid  in  stifling  the  last 
struggles  of  afflicted  and  persecuted  man ;  to  deliver  up  into  his  hands  the  patriots  of  Spain 
and  Portugal,  to  establish  his  empire  over  the  ocean  and  over  the  land  that  gave  our  fore- 
fathers birth ;  to  forge  our  own  chains !  And  yet,  my  friends,  we  are  told,  as  we  were  told 
in  the  days  of  Mr.  Adams, "  the  finger  of  Heaven  points  to  war."  Yes  the  finger  of  Heaven 
DOES  point  to  war.  It  points  to  war,  as  it  points  to  the  mansions  of  eternal  misery  and 
torture ;  as  a  flaming  beacon  warning  us  of  that  vortex  which  we  may  not  approach  but 
with  certain  destruction.  It  points  to  desolated  Europe,  and  warns  us  of  the  chastisement 
of  those  nations  who  have  offended  against  the  justice  and  almost  beyond  the  mercy  of 
Heaven.  It  announces  the  wrath  to  come  upon  those,  who,  ungrateful  for  the  bounty  of 
Providence,  not  satisfied  with  the  peace,  liberty,  security,  and  plenty  at  home,  fly,  as  it 
were,  into  the  face  of  the  Most  High,  and  tempt  his  forbearance. 

To  you,  in  this  place,  I  can  speak  with  freedom,  and  it  becomes  me  to  do  so:  nor  shall  I 
be  deterred  by  the  cavils  and  the  sneers  of  those  who  hold  as  "  foolishness"  all  that  savors 
not  of  worldly  wisdom,  from  expressing  fully  and  freely  those  sentiments  which  it  has 
pleased  God,  in  his  mercy,  to  engrave  upon  my  heart. 

These  are  no  ordinary  times.  The  state  of  the  world  is  unexampled ;  the  war  of  the 
present  day  is  not  like  that  of  our  Revolution,  or  any  which  preceded  it,  at  least  in  modern 
times.  It  is  a  war  against  the  liberty  and  happiness  of  mankind.  It  is  a  war  in  which  the 


JOHN  RANDOLPH. 

whole  human  race  are  the  victims,  to  gratify  the  pride  and  lust  of  power  of  a  single  indi- 
vidual. I  beseech  you,  put  it  to  your  own  bosoms,  how  far  it  becomes  you  as  freemen,  as 
Christians,  to  give  your  aid  and  sanction  to  this  impious  and  bloody  warfare  against  your 
brethren  of  the  human  family.  To  such  among  you,  if  any  such  there  be,  who  are  insen- 
sible to  motives  not  more  dignified  and  manly  than  they  are  intrinsically  wise,  I  would 
make  a  different  appeal.  I  adjure  you  by  the  regard  you  have  for  your  own  security  and 
property,  for  the  liberty  and  inheritance  of  your  children,  by  all  that  you  hold  dear  and 
sacred,  to  interpose  your  constitutional  powers  to  save  your  country  and  yourselves  from 
the  calamity,  the  issue  of  which  it  is  not  given  to  human  foresight  to  divine. 

Ask  yourselves  if  you  are  willing  to  become  the  virtual  allies  of  Bonaparte  1  Are  you 
willing  for  the  sake  of  annexing  Canada  to  the  northern  states,  to  submit  to  that  overgrow- 
ing system  of  taxation,  which  sends  the  European  labourer  supperless  to  bed  ]  To  main- 
tain by  the  sweat  of  your  brow,  armies  at  whose  hands  you  are  to  receive  a  future  master  1 
Suppose  Canada  ours ;  is  there  any  one  among  you  who  would  ever  be,  in  any  respect, 
the  better  for  it  1  the  richer — the  freer — the  happier — the  more  secure  1  And  is  it  for  a  boon 
like  this,  that  you  would  join  in  the  warfare  against  the  liberties  of  man  in  the  other  hemi- 
sphere, and  put  your  own  in  jeopardy  1  Or  is  it  for  the  nominal  privilege  of  a  licensed 
trade  with  France,  that  you  would  abandon  your  lucrative  commerce  with  Great  Britain, 
Spain,  and  Portugal,  and  their  Asiatic,  African,  and  American  dependencies  1  In  a  word, 
with  every  region  of  those  vast  continents.  That  commerce  which  gives  vent  to  your 
tobacco,  grain,  flour,  cotton,  in  short,  to  all  your  native  products,  which  are  denied  a  mar- 
ket in  France ! 

There  are  not  wanting  men  so  weak  as  to  suppose  that  their  approbation  of  warlike 
measures  is  a  proof  of  personal  gallantry,  and  that  opposition  to  them  indicates  a  want  of 
that  spirit  which  becomes  a  friend  to  his  country ;  as  if  it  required  more  courage  and  pa- 
triotism to  join  in  the  acclamation  of  the  day,  than  steadily  to  oppose  one's  eel!  to  the  mad 
infatuation  to  which  every  people  and  all  governments  have,  at  some  time  or  other,  given 
way.  Let  the  history  of  Phocion,  of  Agis,  and  of  the  De  Witts,  answer  this  question. 
My  friends,  do  you  expect  to  find  those  who  are  now  loudest  in  the  clamor  for  war,  fore- 
most in  the  ranks  of  battle  1  Or  is  the  honor  of  this  nation  indissolubly  connected  with 
the  political  reputation  of  a  few  individuals  who  tell  you  they  have  gone  too  far  to  recede, 
and  that  you  must  pay,  with  your  ruin,  the  price  of  their  consistency  ?  My  friends,  I 
have  discharged  my  duty  towards  you ;  lamely  and  inadequate  I  know,  but  to  the  best  of 
my  poor  ability.  The  destiny  of  the  American  people  is  in  their  own  hands.  The  net 
is  spread  for  their  destruction.  You  are  enveloped  in  the  toils  of  French  duplicity  ;  and 
if,  which  may  Heaven  in  its  mercy  forbid,  you  and  your  posterity  are  to  become  hewers  of 
wood  and  drawers  of  water,  to  the  modern  Pharaoh,  it  shall  not  be  for  the  want  of  my 
best  exertions  to  rescue  you  from  the  cruel  and  abject  bondage.  This  sin,  at  least,  shall 
not  rest  upon  my  soul. 

JOHN  RANDOLPH  of  Roanoke. 

May  Wth,  1812. 

This  appeal  drew,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1812,  from  Mr.  Clay,  then 
speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives,  an  answer  addressed  to  the 
editor  of  the  National  Intelligencer,*  the  insertion  of  which  is  not 


Niks'  Weekly  Register,  vol.  ii,  p.  266. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

within  the  views  or  limits  of  this  sketch,  but  which,  though  nearly 
twenty  years  have  diminished  the  interest  of  the  occurrence  to  which 
it  relates,  may  still  be  read  with  pleasure  and  advantage. 

The  health  of  Mr.  RANDOLPH  was  seriously  affected  in  the  year 
1811;  and  he  seems  never  to  have  recovered  entirely  from  the  effects 
of  the  attack  which  he  then  experienced;  his  life,  subsequently, 
seems  to  have  been  "  one  long  disease."*  The  idea  of  a  restoration 
from  change  of  air  and  scene,  induced  him  to  visit  England  in  1822. 
Of  England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland,  he  possessed,  previously  to  having 
been  there,  the  most  minute  and  accurate  local  knowledge,  derived, 
as  he  himself  asserted,  from  books  and  conversation  aided  by  a  very 
retentive  memory,  and  he  sometimes  amused  himself  not  a  little  at 
the  surprise  it  created.  The  attention  he  attracted  upon  his  first 
appearance  in  London  was  very  great,  and  many  characteristic 
anecdotes  of  him  reached  this  country.  He  went  again  to  England 
in  the  spring  of  1824,  with  the  same  hope  of  improving  his  health 
which  led  to  his  former  voyage,  and  returned  to  the  United  States 
in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year.  Disease,  however,  had  taken  such 
firm  hold  of  him,  that  his  subsequent  public  life  received  constant 
interruptions  from  its  visitations. 

In  June,  1830,  Mr.  RANDOLPH  was  appointed,  by  president  Jack- 
son, minister  to  Russia  upon  the  recall  of  Mr.  Middleton.  He  sailed 
shortly  after  his  appointment,  and  arrived  in  London  in  July,  from 
whence  he  reached  St.  Petersburg  in  September  following.  His 
stay  in  Russia  was  very  short ;  the  severity  of  the  climate  was  ill. 
adapted  to  the  state  of  extreme  infirmity  under  which  he  was  suf- 
fering, and  he  returned  to  London,  where,  on  the  26th  of  December, 
1830,  he  delivered  a  speech  at  the  lord  mayor's  dinner.  Many 
rumors  of  the  extraordinary  conduct  and  behavior  of  the  minister 
of  the  United  States  at  the  court  of  St.  Petersburg  reached  this 
country  soon  after  Mr.  RANDOLPH'S  arrival  in  Russia,  were  made 
public,  and  were  seized  upon  with  that  avidity  which  affords  such 
stringent  proof  of  the  predominance  in  human  nature  to  enjoy 
whatever  renders  our  neighbor  less  in  general  estimation.  Mr.  John 
Randolph  Clay,  the  son  of  his  old  friend,  who  accompanied  him  as 
secretary  of  legation,  deemed  it  right  to  repel  the  attacks  which 
were  made  upon  the  strength  of  these  rumors,  by  the  publication 
of  a  letter,  dated  at  St.  Petersburg  on  the  17th  of  January,  1831,  in 


*  Letters  to  Dudley,  passim. 

8 


JOHN  RANDOLPH. 

which  he  asserted,  distinctly,  that  the  statements  which  had  been 
given  to  the  public  on  the  subject  of  Mr.  RANDOLPH'S  behavior  and 
conduct,  had  no  foundation  in  truth.  The  appointment  of  Mr. 
RANDOLPH  called  forth  innumerable  attacks  upon  the  president,  and 
upon  himself;  the  most  vehement  of  which  were  founded  upon  the 
allegation  that  he  received  the  outfit,  when  he  knew  he  could  not 
discharge  the  duty  of  a  minister;  and  an  imposing  parade  of  figures 
was  made*  upon  the  subject  of  the  cost  to  the  country  of  his  mis- 
sion. He  returned  to  America  in  October,  1831,  in  a  state  of  extreme 
exhaustion  and  weakness. 

The  tariff  or  "American  system,"  as  it  has  been  sometimes 
termed,  met  with  the  most  distinct  opposition  from  Mr.  RANDOLPH. 
He  seems  to  have  held  the  doctrine,  that  the  manufacturing  interests 
were  never,  in  any  country,  satisfied  with  the  extent  of  the  legisla- 
tive protection  granted  to  them;  and  he  insisted  that  the  tariff  system 
was  one  which  must  end  in  the  utter  subversion  of  the  rights  of  the 
states  generally,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  slave-hold- 
ing states  to  submit  long  to  its  oppression.  His  views  are  set  forth 
in  a  letter  dated  November  22d,  1832,  which  he  addressed  to  a 
writer  in  the  Richmond  Enquirer  under  the  signature  of  a  "  Friend 
to  Truth." 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1833,  Mr.  RANDOLPH  arrived  in  Philadelphia, 
on  his  way  to  New  York,  where  he  intended  to  embark  for  Europe, 
again  to  try  the  effect  of  a  voyage.  He  was  in  the  last  stage  of  a 
pulmonary  disease;  and,  after  lingering  three  days,  he  died  at  the 
City  Hotel  in  Third  street. 

Few  individuals  of  modern  times  have  attracted  more  notice  in 
their  own  country  than  JOHN  RANDOLPH;  but  it  may  be  long  before 
his  true  history  and  character  will  be  portrayed;  before  the  division 
of  his  life  into  periods  shall  furnish  the  materials  even  for  a  proper 
estimate  of  his  views,  feelings,  and  powers.  It  is  conceded  that 
among  the  orators  of  his  own  land,  he  was  a  star  of  the  first  magni- 
tude, but  that  his  aberrations  rendered  his  lustre  worse  than  useless. 
He  drew  an  attentive  audience  together  in  congress  more  certainly 
than  any  other  speaker ;  his  sayings,  in  which  the  manner  and  oc- 
casion was  often  more  than  the  matter,  were  in  every  man's  mouth, 
and  his  fame  extended  throughout  the  union.  But  it  has  been  said, 


*  Niles'  Weekly  Register,  September  24th,  1831,  p.  69,  where  the  amount  is  stated  at 
107,000  dollars. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

that,  while  this  was  the  case,  he  was  brilliant,  and  nothing  more ; 
that  he  wanted  sound,  efficient  sense,  and  useful  knowledge,  and 
was  thus  deficient  in  the  most  essential  qualifications  for  the  station 
he  held  in  the  councils  of  his  country;  that,  like  Cassandra,  he  was 
listened  to,  but  never  heeded;  and  was  a  living  example  that  talent 
without  wisdom  leads  to  nothing.  That  with  all  the  fame  acquired 
by  his  eloquence,  he  was  without  any  real  influence,  and  that  while 
assemblages  were  gathered  together  whenever  he  delivered  one  of 
his  brilliant  harangues,  no  man  set  the  smallest  value  upon  his 
opinion.  It  has  been  peremptorily  denied  that  he  was  a  statesman; 
though  his  career  has  exhibited  him  always  in  the  front  rank  of 
whatever  party  he  chose  to  ally  himself  to,  his  efforts  have  been 
deemed  as  injurious  to  his  political  friends  as  to  their  adversaries; 
and  that  his  whole  life  was  an  exhibition  of  the  futility  of  a  mere 
man  of  genius,  whose  career  was  signalized  by  words,  but  left  no 
deeds  or  great  public  acts  to  perpetuate  his  memory.  Let  us  hope, 
however,  that  one  day  some  one  from  among  those  who  knew  him 
best,  may  give  us  the  truth  in  regard  to  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  men,  whose  race  was  run,  and  whose  voice  was  loudest  in  the 
council  of  the  nation  during  some  of  the  most  difficult  periods  of 
existence ;  it  seems  almost  impossible  that  such  great  and  general 
interest  and  curiosity  should  have  been  excited  by  a  mere  talker, 
and  that  after  a  long  and  active  life  devoted  almost  exclusively  to 
public  affairs,  he  should  have  been  gathered  to  his  fathers  having 
achieved  nothing. 


Kugraved  by  J.  R  Longacre  from  a  Fainting  by  J. 


MAJOR  GENERAL 


\^^y^v^^&C  */&i*d&£:Hs    <JO 


EDMUND    PENDLETON    GAINES. 


EDMUND  PENDLETON  GAINES,  the  third  son  of  James  Gaines,  was 
born  on  the  20th  of  March,  1777,  near  the  eastern  base  of  the  blue 
ridge,  in  the  county  of  Culpepper,  Virginia.  His  father  was  married 
while  very  young  to  Miss  White,  who  died  a  year  after  the  mar- 
riage, leaving  one  daughter.  He  afterwards  married  Elizabeth 
Strother,  by  whom  he  had  four  daughters  and  two  sons  elder,  and 
three  daughters  and  one  son  younger  than  EDMUND.  His  father 
served  in  the  latter  part  of  the  revolutionary  war  at  the  head  of  a 
company  of  volunteers ;  and  was  soon  after  chosen  a  member  of 
the  legislature  of  North  Carolina,  to  the  northwest  border  of  which 
state  he  had  moved  with  his  family  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  afterwards  elected  a  member  of  the  convention  of  that  state  to 
which  the  federal  constitution  was  submitted,  and  by  which  it  was 
rejected.  If  upon  the  final  vote  of  rejection  the  name  of  James 
Gaines  stands  recorded  in  favor  of  that  measure,  his  objections  were 
entirely  removed  by  the  adoption  of  the  "  Bill  of  Rights;"  and  he 
lived  to  see  its  excellence  demonstrated  by  a  trial  of  forty-two  years 
duration.  He  witnessed  the  progress  and  issue  of  this  trial  with  a 
steadfast  belief  that  the  federal  constitution,  so  amended,  and  taken 
in  connexion  with  the  constitution  of  the  several  states  of  the  union, 
embraced  the  most  perfect,  as  well  as  the  most  powerful,  system  of 
government  known  to  man.  James  Gaines  was  the  nephew  of 
Edmund  Pendleton,  a  profound  lawyer,  and  for  many  years  the 
presiding  judge  of  the  court  of  appeals  of  the  state  of  Virginia,  and 
a  statesman  whose  services  were  most  prominent  in  the  cause 
which  produced  a  Washington,  and  has  enrolled  the  names  of 
Henry,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Randolph,  Lee,  and  Mason,  among  the 
most  distinguished  in  the  annals  of  American  history. 

To  an  early  association  with  such  an  individual,  and  to  the  affec- 
tionate solicitude  and  guardian  care  of  a  highly  gifted  mother,  are 
to  be  imputed  the  stern  integrity  and  devoted  sense  of  duty  which 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

have  always  distinguished  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  Upon  the 
memory  of  his  mother  his  heart  still  rests  with  an  abiding  love,  and 
to  her  care  and  prudence  he  yet  delights  to  acknowledge  himself 
mainly  indebted  for  the  principles  which  have  sustained  and 
strengthened  him  amid  the  trying  and  perilous  scenes  of  his  event- 
ful life. 

Born  in  a  frontier  settlement,  and  during  a  state  of  civil  war,  his 
earliest  recollections  are  painfully  connected  with  deeds  of  blood 
and  rapine.  A  main  object  of  maternal  care  was  manifested  in  an 
anxious  zeal  to  merge  the  baleful  influences  in  a  recital  of  the 
triumphs  of  her  countrymen  in  the  great  cause  of  civil  liberty,  and 
of  the  brilliant  consequences  that  were  to  flow  to  her  children  and 
posterity  from  such  pressing  and  impending  calamities.  It  is  not, 
therefore,  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  subsequent  career  of  her 
favorite  son  should  be  devoted  to  the  profession  of  arms ;  and  less, 
that  that  career  should  be  distinguished  not  more  on  the  field  of 
battle,  than  by  a  loyal  devotioii  to  the  constitution  and  the  laws  of 
his  country,  both  as  a  soldier  and  a  private  citizen. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  independence,  his  father's  estate  con- 
sisted of  a  plantation  of  a  few  hundred  acres,  and  that  but  indiffer- 
ently stocked :  of  money,  like  the  rest  of  his  neighbors,  he  had 
none,  except  in  the  form  of  the  old  valueless  continental  bills. 

Under  these  circumstances  of  poverty,  in  which  all  classes  were 
at  the  time  more  or  less  involved,  it  will  not  be  matter  of  surprise 
that  the  early  education  of  our  hero  should  be  limited  to  the  acquire- 
ment of  such  attainments  as  he  could  occasionally  find  time  to  re- 
ceive at  the  neighboring  county  school. 

The  greater  portion  of  his  youth  was  necessarily  devoted  to  labor. 
His  daily  toils  were,  however,  amply  compensated  by  the  reflection 
that  the  burden  of  the  farm  was  lessened  to  the  advancing  years  of 
his  father,  and  that  the  declining  days  of  his  mother  were  comforted 
and  consoled  by  every  act  of  filial  duty. 

In  the  subsequent  toils  of  his  professional  career,  he  has  more 
than  "once  had  reason  to  congratulate  himself  on  the  habits  acquired 
in  following  the  plough  and  in  wielding  the  axe.  His  heart  was 
early  imbued  with  the  pleasures  which  result  from  the  performance 
of  duties,  and  his  body  hardened  by  healthful  and  vigorous  exercise. 
To  an  early  friend,  whom  he  often  delights  to  name,  one  Ralph 
Mitchell,  he  was  indebted  for  the  attainment  of  so  much  of  the  ele- 
ments of  the  mathematics  as  to  become  an  accurate  surveyor. 


EDMUND  PENDLETON  GAINES. 

He  had  now  attained  his  thirteenth  year. 

About  this  time  his  father  removed  his  family  to  Sullivan  county, 
which  afterwards  became  the  eastern  county  of  Tennessee.  His 
new  residence  brought  him  into  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  de- 
predations so  frequently  committed  at  that  time  by  the  Cherokee 
and  Creek  Indians,  with  whom  we  were  at  war,  and  so  continued 
to  be  for  several  years  after  his  father's  removal  to  Tennessee. 

Our  hero's  thoughts  became  now  actually  turned  to  the  profession 
of  arms,  and  he  employed  all  his  leisure  hours  in  the  perusal  of 
books  of  history  and  such  military  works  as  chance  or  his  father's 
early  associates  afforded  him.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  his  rifle  be- 
came his  constant  companion,  and  in  his  wilderness  or  mountain 
excursions,  he  soon  acquired  such  skill  in  the  management  of  this 
formidable  arm,  as  to  excel  most  of  his  young  associates  who  vied 
with  him  in  the  use  of  it. 

When  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  was  elected  lieutenant  of  a 
rifle  company  of  volunteers,  commanded  by  captain  J.  Cloud.  In 
the  twenty-first  year  of  his  age,  he  commenced,  as  far  as  the  most 
limited  means  would  permit  him,  the  study  of  the  law.  About  this 
time  he  was  recommended  by  his  distinguished  friend,  the  Honor- 
able W.  C.  C.  Claiborne,  then  in  congress,  for  an  appointment  in 
the  army,  and  on  the  10th  of  January,  1799,  he  was  appointed  an 
ensign. 

In  the  fall  of  1799,  he  received  notice  that  he  was  attached  to  the 
sixth  United  States  regiment,  and  was  ordered  on  duty  in  the  re- 
cruiting service,  having  been,  in  the  interim,  promoted  to  a  second 
lieutenancy.  In  the  following  year  the  sixth  regiment  was  dis- 
banded. Lieutenant  Gaines  was  soon  after  attached  to  the  fourth, 
then  commanded  by  Colonel  Thomas  Butler. 

In  the  summer  of  1801,  the  colonel  was  instructed  to  select  the 
subaltern  of  his  regiment  best  qualified  for  making  a  topographical 
survey  from  Nashville  to  Natchez,  for  the  location  of  a  military 
road.  He  appointed  Lieutenant  GAINES.  In  the  performance  of 
this  duty,  and  in  the  survey  of  some  Indian  boundary  lines  near  the 
Choctaw  nation,  he  was  engaged  until  the  winter  of  1803 — 4. 

In  the  year  1804,  when  it  was  found  that  Spain  had  refused  to 
withdraw  her  troops  from  the  military  posts  of  Mobile  and  Baton 
Rouge,  and  to  deliver  up  the  country  lying  between  the  island  of 
Orleans,  the  Iberville,  the  river  Mississippi,  and  the  Perdido,  as  a 
part  of  Louisiana,  the  president  of  the  United  States,  not  considering 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  country  prepared  for  war,  determined  to  appoint  a  military  col- 
lector of  the  customs  for  the  district  of  Mobile.  For  this  office, 
GAINES,  who  had  in  1802  been  promoted  to  a  first  lieutenancy,  was 
selected.  He  accepted  the  office  in  the  confident  expectation  that 
m's  position  at  Fort  Stoddert,  thirty-six  miles  north  of  the  town  of 
Mobile,  where  he  was  stationed,  would  insure  to  him,  sooner  or 
later,  the  honor  of  taking  possession  of  the  disputed  territory. 

In  the  year  1806,  our  military  collector  of  the  customs,  in  addition 
to  the  duties  hitherto  assigned  to  him,  was  honored  with  the  ap- 
pointment of  postmaster,  and  that  of  agent  to  the  postmaster-general, 
with  authority  to  suspend  certain  postmasters  and  mail  contractors, 
whose  delinquencies  were  in  anywise  attributable  to  the  influence 
of  persons  then  known  to  be  engaged  in  what  was  termed  the  Burr 
war.  As  commandant  of  Fort  Stoddert,  GAINES  was  authorized  to 
employ  such  of  the  United  States  troops  as  he  should  deem  neces- 
sary and  proper  to  afford  protection  to  the  persons  employed  as 
inspectors  of  the  revenue,  as  well  as  those  employed  in  carrying 
the  mail  between  the  city  of  New  Orleans  and  Athens,  Georgia ; 
the  principal  part  of  the  intervening  country,  near  six  hundred 
miles,  being  at  that  time  a  wilderness. 

While  in  the  discharge  of  the  various  and  complicated  duties  of 
the  civil  and  military  trusts  confided  to  him,  it  became  his  duty,  in 
obedience  to  the  proclamation  of  the  president,  to  arrest  Colonel 
Burr,  and  to  send  him  under  a  mounted  guard,  in  charge  of  Major 
Nicholas  Perkins,  who  volunteered  his  services  for  that  purpose,  to 
Virginia  for  trial.  Of  the  propriety  of  this  act  Captain  GAINES 
never  for  a  moment  entertained  a  doubt. 

It  is  a  fact,  however,  not  to  be  concealed,  that,  notwithstanding 
the  arrest  and  confinement  of  Colonel  Burr  was  a  duty,  and  a  duty 
performed  in  a  spirit  of  as  great  delicacy  and  forbearance  as  was 
consistent  with  the  perfect  security  of  his  person;  and  notwithstand- 
ing he  was  confided  to  the  care  of  Major  Perkins,  than  whom  a  more 
humane,  honorable  man  could  not  have  been  found ;  yet  from  the 
time  of  his  arrival  in  Richmond  to  the  present  year,  GAINES  has 
found  arrayed  against  him  an  influence  which  he  has  in  vain  en- 
deavoured to  account  for. 

The  president,  on  being  advised  through  the  department  of  war 
that  Burr  had  been  arrested  by  Captain  GAINES,  authorized  the  ap- 
pointment of  marshal  to  be  added  to  his  various  other  civil  appoint- 
ments, with  authority  to  notify  his  veteran  commander,  General 


EDMUND  PENDLETON  GAINES. 

Wilkinson,  with  such  other  public  officers  and  others  at  New  Or- 
leans acquainted  with  the  projects  of  Burr,  to  attend  his  trial.  With 
these  officers  the  acting  marshal  embarked  in  a  United  States  vessel 
of  war  in  May,  1807,  at  New  Orleans,  and  arrived  at  Old  Point 
Comfort  early  in  June,  a  few  days  previous  to  the  attack  on  the 
frigate  Chesapeake. 

In  the  course  of  this  trial,  which  immediately  followed,  Captain 
GAINES  had  reason  to  put  in  practice  the  principles  of  forbearance 
which  he  had  early  prescribed  to  himself.  The  counsel  of  Burr 
deemed  it  expedient  to  animadvert  with  much  harshness,  not  only 
on  the  arrest  of  his  client,  but  likewise  on  the  conduct  of  the  officer 
who  made  the  arrest.  The  captain,  satisfied  with  the  good  and 
faithful  service  he  had  rendered  his  country,  was  neither  moved  by 
these  animadversions,  nor  for  a  moment  thrown  off  the  manly  pro- 
priety of  his  deportment. 

History  will  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  whatever  may  have  been 
the  designs  of  Colonel  Burr,  they  were  at  once  frustrated  by  his 
prompt  arrest  and  speedy  conveyance  to  a  proper  place  of  trial.  To 
Captain  GAINES  she  will  award  the  full  merit  of  this  act. 

Our  hero  had  now  attained  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age ;  he  had 
thus  far  laboured  through  what  may  be  considered  the  apprentice- 
ship of  his  profession ;  he  had  acquired  full  confidence  in  his  capa- 
bility to  serve  his  country  in  either  a  civil  or  a  military  capacity,  and 
believed  himself  equal  to  any  command  in  the  army  the  government 
might  see  fit  to  confide  to  him. 

Shortly  after  the  trial  of  Colonel  Burr,  he  determined  to  retire 
from  the  army,  and  engage  in  the  profession  of  the  law.  The  exe- 
cution of  this  resolution  was,  however,  for  a  while  suspended,  in 
consequence  of  the  increased  probability  of  a  war  with  England. 
The  chances  of  this  event  were  soon,  however,  rendered  nearly 
hopeless  by  the  turn  of  public  affairs.  In  this  state  of  suspense, 
GAINES  at  length  decided  upon  asking  for  a  leave  of  absence. 

This  was  promptly  granted  to  him  by  his  commanding  general, 
Wade  Hampton,  with  the  understanding  that  if  the  prospect  of  war 
should  subside  within  a  year,  he  should  be  permitted  to  resign ; 
otherwise,  that  he  would  remain  in  service.  In  this  interval  he 
commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  in  the  counties  of  Washington 
and  Baldwin,  Mississippi  territory. 

Scarcely  had  he  completed  his  second  circuit,  under  auspices  of 
the  most  flattering  character,  when  the  alternative  under  which  he 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

stood  pledged  to  his  general,  occurred.  The  nation  determined  to 
maintain  her  rights.  War  was  declared  against  Great  Britain,  and 
Captain  GAINES  joyfully  resumed  his  sword,  with  a  firm  determina- 
tion never  again  to  abandon  it  so  long  as  his  country  should  need 
his  services. 

In  the  war  which  followed,  he  soon  became  distinguished  among 
the  most  steadfast  in  the  faithful  performance  of  every  arduous  duty. 
The  post  of  greatest  danger  was  to  him  the  post  of  honor.  There 
he  was  always  to  be  found,  distinguished  alike  by  the  fertility  of 
his  resources,  the  imperturbable  coolness  of  his  courage,  and  the 
amiable  simplicity  of  his  manners.  The  details  of  his  services  are 
too  voluminous  for  the  limited  space  allowed  in  this  memoir. 

It  must  suffice  to  state,  that  after  being  on  duty  in  the  north- 
western division  of  the  army,  he  was,  subsequently  to  the  battle  of 
the  Thames  in  Upper  Canada,  engaged  in  the  operations  on  the 
northern  frontier;  where  on  various  occasions  his  conduct  as  an 
officer  received  the  highest  commendation.  In  the  action  at  Chryst- 
ler's  Field,  he  was  particularly  distinguished;  and  at  the  memorable 
and  brilliant  defence  of  Fort  Erie,  in  August,  1814,  (at  which  post 
he  commanded  in  chief,  and  was  severely  wounded  by  the  bursting 
of  a  shell,)  his  bravery  and  skill  were  most  conspicuous ;  nor  was 
he  ever  wanting  in  magnanimity  or  humanity. 

In  the  midst  of  the  sanguinary  conflicts  in  which  he  was  then 
engaged,  his  conduct  as  a  soldier  won  the  admiration  even  of  the 
enemy  to  whom  he  was  opposed,  and  against  whom  he  was  then 
in  arms  on  the  field  of  battle.  And  it  is  so  seldom  the  horrors  of 
war  are  relieved  by  incidents  which  indicate  the  triumph  of  civili- 
zation and  refinement  in  the  character  of  the  warrior,  amidst  the 
iron  storm  where  courage  is  too  often  almost  the  only  virtue  recog- 
nised, that  an  occurrence  so  honorable  to  both  the  belligerent  parties 
as  the  following,  ought  not  to  be  forgotten. 

At  the  battle  of  Chrystler's  Field,  before  mentioned,  which  took 
place  on  the  llth  of  November,  1813,  Colonel  GAINES,  but  just  re- 
covered from  the  tedious  illness  which  had  deprived  him  of  the 
honor  of  a  participation  in  the  glory  of  Harrison's  victory  on  the 
Thames,  commanded  the  twenty-fifth  regiment  of  United  States 
infantry. 

That  regiment  was  one  of  the  most  effective  in  the  service.  The 
important  duty  was  that  day  assigned  to  it  of  covering  the  retreat 
of  our  several  corps  after  the  check  which  the  enemy  had  received, 
to  the  place  of  reembarcation  on  the  St.  Lawrence. 


EDMUND  PENDLETON  GAINES. 

The  duty  was  a  most  important  and  arduous  one.  The  officer 
who  commanded  the  British  force  was  Colonel  Morrison,  of  the 
eighty-ninth,  than  whom  His  Majesty  had  not  a  more  distinguished 
soldier  or  accomplished  gentleman  in  his  service. 

Flushed  with  the  advantages  he  had  gained  in  the  capture  of  a 
piece  of  our  artillery,  and  in  the  death  of  General  Covington,  who 
had  fallen  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  in  a  charge  against  the  British 
line,  Morrison  pushed  his  regiment  hard  upon  his  retiring  foe,  until 
he  encountered  the  gallant  twenty-fifth.  Here  all  his  efforts  failed. 
The  twenty-fifth  held  firm  foot  in  spite  of  repeated  assaults,  and 
manifested  a  degree  of  fortitude  and  discipline  which  astonished  the 
veterans  who  had  followed  Wellington  over  so  many  fields  of 
triumph.  Under  its  gallant  commander,  GAINES,  it  remained  as 
immovable  as  a  rock. 

The  enemy  finally  repulsed,  and  our  own  corps  again  on  their 
line  of  march  to  join  the  advance,  the  twenty -fifth  slowly  retired  from 
the  field,  having  by  its  brilliant  deportment  gained  for  us  all  the 
advantages  which  could  have  sprung  from  the  most  decided  victory. 
Colonel  Morrison  himself  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  conduct  of 
the  regiment,  that  after  the  battle  he  sent  his  card,  with  his  compli- 
ments, to  the  officer  who  commanded  it,  expressing  the  warmest 
admiration  of  his  courage  and  conduct,  and  desiring  to  be  made 
acquainted  with  his  name,  that  in  case  it  should  be  hereafter  his 
good  fortune  to  meet  the  gentleman  under  more  peaceful  circum- 
stances, he  might  at  once  claim  the  privileges  of  an  old  soldier  and 
friend.  It  is  needless  to  say,  that  a  message  so  chivalric  and  mag- 
nanimous could  not  have  been  addressed  to  a  heart  more  ready  to 
respond,  or  prompt  to  reciprocate  the  exalted  courtesy  it  evinced, 
than  that  of  Colonel  GAINES. 

In  the  course  of  the  war,  GAINES  received  the  several  successive, 
rapid  promotions,  of  lieutenant-colonel,  colonel,  adjutant-general, 
brigadier-general,  and  major-general ;  the  last  being  the  highest 
rank  authorized  by  law,  and  conferred  in  a  form  the  most  accept- 
able to  the  soldier,  inasmuch  as  it  was  " a  war  brevet"  expressly 
stating  the  fact  that  it  was  conferred  on  him  in  consequence  of  his 
gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in  battle.  The  federal  govern- 
ment also  honored  him  and  the  officers  and  men  of  his  command, 
with  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks,  and  authorized  the  president  to 
provide  and  present  to  him  a  gold  medal,  whilst  the  three  great  and 
patriotic  states  of  New  York,  Virginia,  and  Tennessee,  awarded  to 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

him  unanimous  resolutions  of  thanks,  with  a  fine  gold-hilted  sword 
which  he  received  from  each  of  these  states. 

With  the  more  recent  actions  and  public  services  of  General 
GAINES,  we  deem  it  unnecessary  to  dilate  this  sketch ;  he  is  still 
(1838)  actively  employed  in  the  honorable  and  important  trust 
which  his  country  has  confided  to  his  hands ;  and  his  latest  official 
communications  to  the  government,  display  a  highly  intelligent  and 
unremitted  zeal  for  her  welfare. 


Engraroi  by  J.VCFaradisc  fiom  a  Paino,^  bj  A.B.  DmroJ. 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 

IN  giving  a  sketch  of  the  career  of  JOHN  QJJINCY  ADAMS,  the  limits 
of  this  work  require  us  to  confine  the  narrative  to  a  bare  recital  of  the 
successive  leading  events  of  his  life.  It  is  difficult  to  contemplate  his 
history,  without  yielding  to  the  impulses  of  the  feelings  and  the  ima- 
gination, and  expatiating  on  the  interesting  reflections  and  meditations 
which,  at  every  stage  of  his  course,  crowd  into  the  mind,  and  demand 
expression.  So  protracted,  however,  has  been  his  public  life,  so  full  is  it 
of  important  services,  and  so  various  are  the  stations  in  which  his  great 
talents  have  been  displayed,  that  the  concisest  narration  of  them  will  be 
kept,  with  difficulty,  from  overrunning  our  pages.  His  illustrious  parents 
have  been  duly  commemorated  in  this  work ;  and  it  will  therefore  be  un- 
necessary to  dwell  upon  their  merits,  or  even  to  mention  their  names. 
He  was  born  in  Braintree,  in  Massachusetts,  in  that  part  of  the  town 
since  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Quincy,  on  Saturday,  July  1 1,  1767, 
and  was  baptised  the  next  day,  in  the  congregational  church  of  the 
first  Parish  of  Braintree.  He  was  named  John  Quincy,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  interesting  circumstance  that  his  maternal  great-grand- 
father of  that  name,  who  was  the  owner  of  Mount  Wollaston,  and  a 
leading  civil  and  military  character  of  his  times,  in  honor  of  whom  the 
town  of  Q,uincy  received  its  name,  was  actually  dying  at  the  time  of 
his  birth. 

In  the  eleventh  year  of  his  age  he  accompanied  his  father  to  France, 
who  was  sent  by  Congress,  as  joint  commissioner,  with  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin and  Arthur  Lee,  to  the  court  of  Versailles.  They  sailed  from 
Boston  in  February,  1778,  and  arrived  at  Bourdeaux  early  in  April 
While  in  France,  he  was,  of  course,  put  to  school,  and  instructed  in  the 
language  of  the  country  as  well  as  in  the  Latin.  After  about  eighteen 
months,  they  returned  to  America  in  the  French  frigate  La  Sensible,  in 
company  with  the  Chevalier  de  la  Luzerne,  who  came  out  as  the  minis- 
ter of  France  to  the  United  States.  They  arrived  in  Boston  on  the  first 
of  August,  1779.  In  November  of  the  same  year  his  father  was  again 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

despatched  to  Europe,  for  the  discharge  of  the  diplomatic  services, 
which  he  rendered  to  the  cause  of  America  with  such  signal  and  me- 
morable ability  and  success.  He  took  his  son  out  with  him.  It  seemed  to 
be  the  determination  of  that  great  patriot,  not  only  to  do  and  to  dare 
every  thing  himself  for  his  struggling  country,  but  to  keep  his  son  con- 
tinually at  his  side  ;  so  that,  by  sharing  his  perils  and  witnessing  his 
toils,  he  might  become  imbued  with  his  own  exalted  enthusiasm  in  the 
cause  of  liberty,  and  be  prepared  to  promote  and  vindicate  it  with  all 
the  energies  of  his  genius  and  all  the  sensibility  of  his  soul.  It  is 
easy  to  imagine  the  exciting  influences  which  must  have  operated 
upon  the  character  of  a  youth  at  that  susceptible  and  impressible  age, 
accompanying  such  a  father  through  the  scenes  in  which  he  acted 
while  in  Europe,  and  the  dangers  he  encountered  in  his  voyages  across 
the  Atlantic.  In  one  of  these  voyages,  the  ship  in  which  they  were 
embarked  was  under  the  command  of  the  famous  naval  hero  Commo- 
dore Tucker,  and  the  whole  passage  was  a  succession  of  hazardous  expo- 
sures and  hair-breadth  escapes  from  hostile  squadrons  and  tempes- 
tuous gales. 

While  the  younger  Adams  was  receiving  the  impressions  made 
upon  him  by  a  participation  in  the  patriotic  adventures  and  exer- 
tions of  his  father,  and  imbibing  the  wisdom  and  intrepid  energy  of 
spirit  for  which  he  was  so  distinguished,  the  same  effect  was  still  more 
heightened  and  deepened  by  the  influence  exerted  upon  him  by  the 
inculcations  and  exhortations  to  every  public  and  private  virtue  con- 
tained in  the  letters  of  his  mother.  When  he  was  thirteen  years  of 
age,  while  in  France  with  his  father,  she  addressed  him  in  the  follow- 
ing noble  strains  : — "  It  is  your  lot,  my  son,  to  owe  your  existence 
among  a  people  who  have  made  a  glorious  defence  of  their  invaded 
liberties,  and  who,  aided  by  a  generous  and  powerful  ally,  with  the 
blessing  of  heaven,  will  transmit  this  inheritance  to  ages  yet  unborn  : 
nor  ought  it  to  be  one  of  the  least  of  your  excitements  towards  exert- 
ing every  power  and  faculty  of  your  mind,  that  you  have  a  parent 
who  has  taken  so  large  a  share  in  this  contest,  and  discharged  the 
trust  reposed  in  him  with  so  much  satisfaction  as  to  be  honored 
with  the  important  embassy  that  at  present  calls  him  abroad.  The 
strict  and  inviolate  regard  you  have  ever  paid  to  truth,  gives  me  pleas- 
ing hopes  that  you  will  not  swerve  from  her  dictates  ;  but  add  justice, 
fortitude,  and  every  manly  virtue  which  can  adorn  a  good  citizen,  do 
honor  to  your  country,  and  render  your  parents  supremely  happy, 
particularly  your  ever  affectionate  mother." 

The  opportunities  and  privileges  of  an  education,  under  such  au- 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 

spices,  were  not  thrown  away  upon  him,  as  the  incidents  of  his  subse- 
quent career  most  amply  prove. 

In  going  to  Europe  this  second  time,  he  embarked  with  his  father 
at  Boston,  in  the  same  French  frigate,  La  Sensible,  bound  tp  Brest ;  but 
as  the  ship  sprung  a  leak  in  a  gale  of  wind,  it  was  necessary  to  make 
the  first  port  they  could,  which  was  Ferrol  in  Spain.  They  travelled 
from  that  place  to  Paris  by  land,  and  arrived  there  in  January,  1780. 
The  son,  of  course,  was  immediately  put  to  school.  In  July  of  that 
year,  Mr.  Adams  removed  to  Holland.  There  his  son  was  first  placed 
in  the  public  city  school  at  Amsterdam,  and  afterwards  at  the  Univer- 
sity at  Leyden.  In  July,  1781,  Mr.  Francis  Dane,  who  had  accompanied 
John  Adams  as  Secretary  of  the  embassy  with  which  he  was  charged, 
Deceived  the  commission  of  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  Empress  of 
Russia,  and  took  JOHN  Q.UINCY  ADAMS,  then  fourteen  years  of  age, 
with  him  as  his  private  Secretary.  Here  the  younger  Adams  remained 
until  October  1782,  when  he  left  Mr.  Dane  at  St.  Petersburg,  and 
returned  through  Sweden,  Denmark,  Hamburg,  and  Bremen,  to  Hol- 
land. Upon  this  journey  he  employed  the  whole  winter,  spending 
considerable  time  by  the  way,  in  Stockholm,  Copenhagen,  and  Ham- 
burg. He  reached  the  Hague  in  April,  1783,  and  continued  several 
months  in  Holland,  until  his  father  took  him  to  Paris,  where  he  was 
at  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  which  took  place  in  September 
of  that  year,  and  from  that  time  to  May,  1785,  he  was,  for  the  most 
part,  with  his  father  in  England,  Holland,  and  France. 

At  his  own  solicitations,  his  father  permitted  him,  when  eighteen 
years  of  age,  to  return  to  his  native  country.  Soon  after  reaching 
America,  he  entered  Harvard  University,  at  an  advanced  standing,  and 
was  graduated  with  distingiushed  honor,  as  Bachelor  of  Arts,  in  1787. 
He  then  entered  the  office  of  the  celebrated  Theophilus  Parsons,  at  New 
bury  Port,  afterwards  chief  justice  of  Massachusetts ;  and  after  the 
usual  period  of  three  years  spent  in  the  study  of  the  law,  he  entered 
the  profession,  and  established  himself  in  Boston. 

He  remained  in  that  situation  four  years,  occupying  himself  indus- 
triously in  his  office,  extending  his  acquaintance  with  the  great  princi- 
ples of  law,  and  also  taking  part  in  the  public  questions  which  then 
occupied  the  attention  of  his  countrymen.  In  the  summer  of  1791 
he  published  a  series  of  papers  in  the  Boston  Centinel,  under  the  signa- 
ture of  Publicola,  containing  remarks  upon  the  first  part  of  Paine's 
Rights  of  Man.  They  suggested  doubts  in  reference  to  the  favorable 
issue  of  the  French  Revolution,  at  a  time  when  most  other  men  saw 
nothing  but  good  in  that  awakening  event.  The  issue  proved  the  sa- 

3 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

gacity  of  Publicola.     These  pieces  were  at  first  ascribed  to  his  father. 
They  were  reprinted  in  England. 

In  April,  1793,  on  the  first  information  of  war  between  Great 
Britain  and  France,  and  before  Washington  had  published  his  procla- 
mation of  neutrality,  or  it  was  known  that  such  a  step  was  contemplat- 
ed by  him,  Mr.  ADAMS  published  in  the  Boston  Centinel  three  articles 
signed  Marcel  1  us,  the  object  of  which  was  to  prove  that  the  duty  and 
interest  of  the  United  States  required  them  to  remain  neutral  in  that 
war%  In  these  papers  he  developed  the  two  principles,  which  have 
ever  been  the  basis  of  his  creed  as  a  statesman ;  the  one  is  UNION  at 
home,  the  other  INDEPENDENCE  of  all  entangling  alliances  with  any 
foreign  states  whatever. 

In  the  winter  of  1793-4  he  published  another  series  of  political  es- 
says, confirming,  and  more  fully  developing  these  views,  and  vindicat- 
ing the  course  of  President  Washington  in  reference  to  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  French  minister,  Genet. 

In  May,  1794,  he  was  appointed  by  Washington,  without  any  inti- 
mation of  such  a  design,  made  either  to  him  or  to  his  father,  minister 
resident  to  the  United  Netherlands.  It  was  supposed  at  the  tinie  that 
he  was  selected  in  consequence  of  his  having  been  commended  to 
the  favorable  notice  of  Washington,  as  a  suitable  person  for  such  an 
employment,  by  Mr.  Jefferson. 

From  1794  to  1801  he  was  in  Europe,  employed  in  diplomatic 
business,  and  as  a  public  minister,  in  Holland,  England,  and  Prussia. 
Just  as  President  Washington  was  retiring  from  office,  he  appointed 
him  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of  Portugal.  While  on  his 
way  to  Lisbon,  he  received  a  new  commission,  changing  his  des- 
tination to  Berlin.  He  resided  in  Berlin  from  November  1797  to  April 
1801,  and  while  there  concluded  a  highly  important  treaty  of  com- 
merce with  Prussia,  thus  accomplishing  the  object  of  his  mission.  He 
was  then  recalled,  just  before  the  close  of  his  father's  administration, 
and  arrived  in  Philadelphia  in  September,  1801. 

In  1802  he  was  elected,  from  the  Boston  district,  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Senate,  and  was  soon  after  appointed,  by  the  legislature 
of  that  state,  a  senator  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  for  six 
years,  from  the  4th  of  March,  1803.  As  his  views  of  public  duty  led 
him  to  adopt  a  course  which  he  had  reason  to  believe  was  disagreeable 
to  the  legislature  of  the  State  he  represented,  he  resigned  his  seat  in 
March,  1808.  In  March,  1809,  President  Madison  nominated  him 
Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Court  of 
Russia. 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 

Some  time  previous  to  this,  however,  in  1806.  he  had  been  appointed 
Professor  of  Rhetoric  in  Harvard  University,  at  Cambridge  in  Massa- 
chusetts. So  extraordinary  were  his  powers  of  elocution,  so  fervid  his 
imaginative  faculties,  and  so  rich  his  resources  of  literature  and  lan- 
guage, that  his  lectures,  which  were  afterwards  published  in  two  oc- 
tavo volumes,  were  thronged  not  only  by  the  students  of  the  univer 
sity.  but  by  large  numbers  of  the  admirers  of  eloquence  and  genius, 
who  came  from  Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns  to  listen  to  them. 
During  his  whole  life  Mr.  ADAMS  has  cultivated  the  graces  of  elocu- 
tion, and,  in  addition  to  his  profound  and  varied  knowledge  of  the 
sciences,  of  the  ancient  and  modern  languages,  and  of  the  literature  and 
history  of  all  nations,  is  an  eminent  Orator  as  well  as  Poet. 

While  in  Russia,  he  furnished  to  the  Port  Folio,  printed  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  to  which,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  he  was  an 
industrious  anonymous  contributor,  a  series  of  letters,  entitled  a 
"  Journal  of  a  Tour  through  Silesia."  These  letters  were  republished 
in  London,  without  the  permission  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Port  Folio, 
in  one  volume  octavo.  They  were  reviewed  in  the  journals  of  the 
day,  and  translated  into  French  and  German. 

Mr.  ADAMS  signalized  himself  while  in  Russia  by  an  energetic, 
faithful,  and  wise  discharge  of  the  trust  committed  to  him.  He  sue 
ceeded  in  making  such  an  impression  upon  that  government,  by  his 
reasonings  and  influence,  that  it  has  ever  since  been  actuated  by  a  feel 
ing  of  kindness  towards  the  United  States,  which  has  been  of  incalcula- 
ble benefit  to  this  country.  It  was  through  his  instrumentality  that  the 
Russian  Court  was  induced  to  take  active  measures  to  promote  a  paci 
fication  between  England  and  the  United  States  during  the  last  war. 
When  the  proper  time  came,  he  was  named  at  the  head  of  the  five 
commissioners  who  were  appointed  by  President  Madison  to  negotiate 
a  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain.  This  celebrated  diplomatic  trans 
action  took  place  at  Ghent,  in  December,  1814.  Mr.  Adams  then 
proceeded,  in  conjunction  with  Henry  Clay  and  Albert  Gallatin,  who 
had  also  been  associated  with  him  in  concluding  the  treaty  of  peace, 
to  negotiate  a  convention  of  commerce  with  Great  Britain  ;  and  he  was 
forthwith  appointed  by  President  Madison  minister  plenipotentiary  at 
the  Court  of  St.  James. 

It  is  a  most  remarkable  coincidence  that,  as  his  father  took  the  lead- 
ing part  in  negotiating  the  treaty  that  terminated  the  Revolutionary 
war  with  Great  Britain,  and  first  discharged  the  office  of  American 
ambassador  to  London,  so  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  commission  that 
negotiated  the  treaty  that  brought  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

to  a  close,  and  sustained  the  first  mission  to  that  country  upon  the 
return  of  peace.  After  having  occupied  that  post  until  the  close  of 
President  Madison's  administration,  he  was  at  length  called  home,  in 
1817,  to  the  head  of  the  department  of  State,  at  the  formation  of  the 
cabinet  of  President  Monroe. 

Mr.  ADAMS'S  career  as  a  foreign  minister  terminated  at  this  point. 
It  has  never  been  paralleled,  or  at  all  approached,  either  in  the  length 
of  time  it  covered,  the  number  of  courts  at  which  he  represented  his 
country,  or  the  variety  and  importance  of  the  services  he  rendered. 
His  first  appointment  to  the  office  of  a  minister  plenipotentiary  was 
received  at  the  hands  of  George  Washington,  who,  in  nominating  him, 
acted  in  accordance  with  the  suggestion  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  James 
Madison  employed  him  in  the  weightiest  and  most  responsible  trusts 
during  his  whole  administration,  selected  him  to  represent  the  United 
States  at  the  two  most  powerful  courts  in  the  world,  St.  Petersburg 
and  London,  and  committed  to  his  leading  agency  the  momentous  duty 
of  arranging  a  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain.  It  is  enough  to  say, 
that  throughout  this  long  and  brilliant  career  of  foreign  public  service, 
he  deserved,  and  received  from  his  country,  the  encomium  which 
Washington  pronounced  upon  him,  when,  in  1797,  he  declared  him 
"  the  most  valuable  public  character  we  have  abroad,  and  the  ablest 
of  all  our  diplomatic  corps." 

The  public  approbation  of  Mr.  Monroe's  act  in  placing  him  at  the 
head  of  his  cabinet,  was  well  expressed  by  General  Jackson,  at  the 
time,  when  he  said  that  he  was  "  the  fittest  person  for  the  office  ;  a 
man  who  would  stand  by  the  country  in  the  hour  of  danger."  While 
Secretary  of  State,  an  office  which  he  held  during  the  eight  years  of 
President  Monroe's  administration,  he  discharged  his  duties  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  increase  the  confidence  of  his  countrymen  in  his  ability 
and  patriotism.  Under  his  influence,  the  claims  on  Spain  were  ad- 
justed, Florida  ceded  to  the  Union,  and  the  republics  of  South  Ameri- 
ca recognised.  It  will  be  the  more  appropriate  duty  of  his  future  biogra- 
pher to  present  a  full  view  of  the  vast  amount  of  labor  which  he  ex- 
pended, in  the  public  service,  while  managing  the  department  of  state. 

In  the  Presidential  election,  which  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1 824, 
Mr.  ADAMS  was  one  of  the  candidates.  No  candidate  received  a  ma- 
jority of  electoral  votes.  When,  on  the  9th  of  February,  1825,  the 
two  houses  of  Congress  met  in  convention,  in  the  hall  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  to  open,  and  count,  and  declare  the  electoral  votes, 
it  was  found  that  Andrew  Jackson  had  99  votes,  JOHN  Q.UINCY 
ADAMS,  84  votes,  William  H.  Crawford,  41  votes,  and  Henry  Clay 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 

37  votes.  According  to  the  requirements  of  the  constitution,  the 
Senate  then  withdrew,  and  the  House  remained  to  hallot  for  a  Presi- 
dent until  a  choice  should  be  effected.  They  were  to  vote  by  States  ; 
the  election  was  limited  to  the  three  candidates  who  had  the  highest 
electoral  votes,  and  the  ballotting  was  to  continue  without  adjournment 
until  some  one  of  the  three  had  received  the  votes  of  a  majority  of  the 
States.  As  Mr.  ADAMS  had  received  as  many  popular  votes  as  Gene- 
ral Jackson,  the  circumstance  that  the  latter  had  obtained  a  large  elec- 
toral vote  had  not  so  much  weight  as  it  otherwise  might  have  had  ;  and 
when  the  ballotting  was  about  to  begin,  it  was  wholly  uncertain  which 
would  be  the  successful  candidate.  The  whole  number  of  States  was 
twenty-four.  The  votes  of  thirteen  States  were  necessary  for  a  choice. 
At  the  first  ballot,  it  was  found  that  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Massa- 
chusetts, Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  Vermont,  New-  York,  Maryland, 
Ohio,  Kentucky,  Illinois,  Missouri,  and  Louisiana,  thirteen  states, 
had  voted  for  "  JOHN  Q,UINCY  ADAMS,  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  ;"  and 
he  was  accordingly  elected  PRESIDENT  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES 
for  four  years  from  the  4th  of  March,  1825.  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed forthwith  to  inform  him  of  his  election,  who.  the  next  day, 
reported  the  following  letter  in  reply  to  the  communication  : 

"  GENTLEMEN, 

"  In  receiving  this  testimonial  from  the  Representatives  of  the  people, 
and  states  of  this  Union,  I  am  deeply  sensible  to  the  circumstances  un- 
der which  it  has  been  given.  All  my  predecessors  in  the  high  station, 
to  which  the  favor  of  the  House  now  calls  me,  have  been  honored  with 
majorities  of  the  electoral  voices  in  their  primary  colleges.  It  has 
been  my  fortune  to  be  placed,  by  the  divisions  of  sentiment  prevailing 
among  our  countrymen  on  this  occasion,  in  competition,  friendly  and 
honorable,  with  three  of  my  fellow-citizens,  all  justly  enjoying,  in  emi- 
nent decrees,  the  public  favor  :  and  of  whose  worth,  talents,  and  ser- 
vices, no  one  entertains  a  higher  and  more  respectful  sense  than  my- 
self. The  names  of  two  of  them  were,  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  provi- 
sions of  the  constitution,  presented  to  the  selection  of  the  House  in 
concurrence  with  my  own  ;  names  closely  associated  with  the  glory 
of  the  nation,  and  one  of  them  further  recommended  by  a  larger  mi- 
nority of  the  primary  electoral  suffrages  than  mine.  In  this  state  of 
things,  could  my  refusal  to  accept  the  trust,  thus  delegated  to  me,  give 
an  immediate  opportunity  to  the  people  to  form  and  to  express,  with 
a  nearer  approach  to  unanimity,  the  object  of  their  preference,  I  should 
not  hesitate  to  decline  the  acceptance  of  this  eminent  charge,  and  to 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

submit  the  decision  of  this  momentous  question  again  to  their  determi- 
nation. But  the  constitution  itself  has  not  so  disposed  of  the  contin- 
gency which  would  arise  in  the  event  of  my  refusal ;  I  shall  therefore 
repair  to  the  post  assigned  me  by  the  call  of  my  country,  signified 
through  her  constitutional  organs  ;  oppressed  with  the  magnitude  of 
the  task  before  me,  but  cheered  with  the  hope  of  that  generous  support 
from  my  fellow-citizens,  which,  in  the  vicissitudes  of  a  life  devoted  to 
their  service,  has  never  failed  to  sustain  me — confident  in  the  trust, 
that  the  wisdom  of  the  Legislative  Councils  will  guide  and  direct  me 
in  the  path  of  my  official  duty,  and  relying,  above  all,  upon  the  super- 
intending Providence  of  that  Being  '  in  whose  hand  our  breath  is,  and 
whose  are  all  our  ways.' 

"  Gentlemen  :  I  pray  you  to  make  acceptable  to  the  House,  the  as- 
surance of  my  profound  gratitude  for  their  confidence,  and  to  accept 
yourselves  my  thanks  for  the  friendly  terms  in  which  you  have  com- 
municated their  decision. 

"  JOHN  GiuiNCY  ADAMS." 

"  Washing-ton,  Wth  Feb.  1825." 

The  time  is  approaching  when  justice  will  be  done  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  JOHN  QJJINCY  ADAMS.  The  passions  of  that  day  are  al- 
ready fast  subsiding,  and  the  parties  and  combinations  that  arose  under 
the  exciting  influences  of  the  times,  have  long  since  been  dissolved 
and  scattered.  The  clear  verdict  of  posterity  may  almost  be  heard, 
even  now,  in  the  general  acknowledgment  of  its  merits  by  the  people 
of  the  country,  in  all  its  various  sections.  In  the  relations  he  sustained 
to  the  members  of  his  cabinet,  in  his  communications  to  the  two  houses, 
and  in  all  his  proceedings,  there  is  a  uniform  manifestation  of  wisdom, 
industry,  moderation,  and  devoted  patriotism.  Of  course  we  do  not 
speak  of  party  questions,  or  refer  to  the  operations  or  bearings  of  the 
parties  of  that  period  ;  but  say  only  what  we  conscientiously  believe 
will  be  assented  to  heartily  by  candid  and  honorable  men  of  all  par- 
ties. The  great  effort  of  his  administration  was  to  mature,  into  a  per- 
manent system,  the  application  of  all  the  superfluous  revenue  of  the 
Union  to  internal  improvement.  This  policy  was  first  suggested  in 
a  resolution  introduced  by  him,  and  adopted  by  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  in  1806  ;  and  was  fully  unfolded  in  his  first  message 
to  Congress  in  1825.  It,  will  be  the  duty  of  the  philosophical  his- 
torian of  the  country,  a  half  century  hence,  to  contrast  the  proba- 
ble effects  upon  the  general  prosperity,  which  would  have  been  produc- 
ed by  such  a  system  of  administration,  regularly  and  comprehensively 


JOHN  aUINCY  ADAMS. 

carried  out,  during  the  intermediate  time,  by  the  government  of  the 
Union,  with  what  will  then  be  seen  to  be  the  results  of  the  policy  which 
has  prevailed  over  it. 

In  retiring  from  the  Presidency  in  1 829,  Mr.  ADAMS  returned  to  his 
family  mansion  in  Quincy,  where  he  remained,  in  quiet  retirement,  until 
he  was  called  into  public  life,  once  more,  by  the  people  of  the  congres- 
sional district  to  which  he  belonged.  He  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  United  States  in  1831,  where  he  continues  to  this 
day  in  the  most  indefatigable  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  station. 
Mr.  Adams  is  now  in  his  seventy-first  year.  However  much  some  of 
his  opinions  may  be  disliked  by  large  numbers  of  his  countrymen  ; 
however  strenuous  the  collision  into  which  he  is,  from  time  to  time, 
brought  with  those  whose  policy  or  views  he  may  oppose  ;  there  is  but 
one  sentiment  of  admiration,  throughout  the  entire  Union,  of  the  vigor, 
the  activity,  the  intrepidity,  the  patience  and  perseverance  of  labor, 
the  talent,  the  learning,  and  the  eloquence  which  he  continually  ex- 
hibits. He  knows  neither  fear  nor  fatigue  ;  prompt,  full,  and  fervid 
in  debate,  he  is  ever  at  his  post ;  no  subject  arises  upon  which  he  does 
not  throw  light,  and  few  discussions  occur  which  are  not  enli- 
vened by  the  flashings  of  his  genius  and  invigorated  by  the  energy  of 
his  spirit.  While  he  belongs  to  no  party,  all  parties  in  turn  feel  the 
power  of  his  talents  ;  and  all,  it  is  probable,  recognize  him  as  an  ex- 
tremely useful  as  well  as  interesting  member  of  the  great  legislative 
assembly  of  the  nation. 

He  has  now  reached  the  period  of  life  when  most  men  begin,  if 
riot  to  lose  their  power  to  engage  in  the  arduous  struggles  of  life,  at 
least  to  lose  their  interest  in  them.  But  it  is  not  so  with  him.  Neither 
his  natural  force  nor  his  natural  fervor  has  abated.  His  speeches  and 
writings  are  still  as  full  of  fancy  and  of  feeling  as  they  were  in  his 
early  manhood.  As  a  scholar,  his  attainments  are  various,  we  might 
almost  say  universal,  and  profound.  As  a  political  controversial  wri- 
ter, he  never  yet  has  found  his  equal ;  and  his  services  as  a  public 
orator  are  still  called  for  on  great  occasions,  when  he  comes  forward  in 
all  the  strength  of  his  intellectual  energy,  and  with  the  imperishable 
richness  and  inexhaustible  abundance  of  his  rhetorical  stores.  When 
Congress  were  apprized  of  the  death  of  General  Lafayette,  the  unani- 
mous voice  of  both  Houses  summoned  him  to  the  high  and  memorable 
duty  of  pronouncing  their  grateful  eulogium  upon  that  friend  of  America 
and  champion  of  mankind.  And  at  the  call  of  the  municipal  authori- 
ties of  the  city  of  Boston,  he  has  pronounced  funeral  orations  in  com- 
memoration of  the  departed  worth  of  Presidents  Monroe  and  Madison. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

All  his  other  attainments  and  merits  are  crowned  by  a  Christian  faith 
and  profession. 

In  addition  to  his  services  in  her  legislative  halls,  his  country  still 
expects  other  invaluable  benefactions  from  the  genius  and  learning  of 
this  remarkable  man  ;  and  is  strong  in  the  hope  that,  in  obedience  to 
that  profound  and  reverential  regard  which  he  has  ever  shown  to  the 
calls  of  patriotic,  philanthropic,  and  filial  duty,  he  will  not  close  his 
long  line  of  illustrious  services,  without  making  a  noble  contribution 
to  the  History  of  United  America,  and  of  the  great  men  who  achieved 
her  independence.  C.  W.  U. 


JOHN  W,  F  HANG  IS,   M.D. 

PROFESSIONAL  life,  especially  in  young  republican  America,  is  often 
diversified  ;  but  the  physician's  is,  perhaps,  less  frequently  so  than  that 
of  any  of  the  members  of  the  three  liberal  pursuits  to  which  academic 
honors  are  awarded.  Medical  men,  from  the  very  nature  of  their  stu- 
dies, and  the  active  cares  in  which  they  are  involved  in  the  subsequent 
discharge  of  their  responsible  trusts,  necessarily  pass  their  existence 
rather  within  the  secluded  chambers  of  the  sick  and  afflicted,  than  be- 
fore the  gaze  and  immediate  observation  of  the  multitude.  But,  in  de- 
fiance of  this  restriction,  the  cultivators  of  the  venerable  art  of  healing 
have  been  justly  accounted  among  that  class  of  individuals  whose 
daily  vocations  lead  to  a  substantial  acquaintance  with  human  nature, 
and  the  principles  of  human  action ;  while  their  peculiar  energies  are 
ever  directed  to  investigations,  embracing  a  multitudinous  variety  of 
circumstances  by  which  sound  science  is  increased,  and  the  lasting  in- 
terests of  society  better  secured.  Knowledge,  therefore,  in  the  medical 
profession,  serves  not  only  to  dignify  its  rank,  but  in  the  exercise  of  its 
powers  becomes  the  agent  of  innumerable  blessings  to  society ;  and  is 
elevated  equally  by  the  importance  of  its  ultimate  object,  and  by  those 
qualifying  attainments  which  render  their  possessor  the  efficient  instru- 
ment of  its  philanthropic  designs. 

There  is,  besides,  in  the  history  of  physic,  abundant  evidence  to  show 
how  much  the  advancement  of  man  has  been  furthered  by  the  profess- 
ors of  the  healing  art ;  how  greatly  the  interests  of  humanity  have 
been  promoted  by  their  efforts  ;  how  largely  the  charities  of  life,  an 
elevated  literature  and  exalted  science  have  been  aided  by  the  broad 
foundations  of  public  institutions,  in  which  physicians  have  borne  a  pro- 
minent part.  The  annals  of  Continental  and  of  British  medicine  de- 
monstrate this  truth  ;  nor  are  examples  wanting  in  our  own  country 
of  similar  establishments,  generously  cherished  by  this  order  of  men. 
Hence,  though  the  transactions  of  one  day  in  the  physician's  career 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

seldom  differ  from  those  of  another,  the  lives  of  eminent  professors  in 
the  medical  faculty  become  worthy  of  notice  ;  they  are  the  guardians 
of  the  public  health,  and  they  deserve  to  rank  among  public  charac- 
ters ;  and  he,  who  possesses  a  deep  and  enthusiastic  veneration  for  the 
art,  and  while,  in  the  daily  exercise  of  its  salutary  precepts  fosters,  the 
cause  of  learning  and  the  general  welfare  of  his  species,  merits,  at  our 
hands,  some  recorded  testimonial  of  his  actions. 

Among  the  many  living  examples  in  the  United  States  of  those  in 
that  profession,  who  by  their  acquisitions  adorn  the  science  of  physic  ; 
who,  by  the  faithful  and  conscientious  performance  of  its  arduous  du- 
ties, have  conferred  benefits  of  acknowledged  importance  upon  hu- 
manity ;  and  by  the  publication  of  the  results  of  experience  have  added 
to  the  medical  literature  of  their  country,  the  respectable  individual, 
whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this  biographical  sketch,  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous place. 

JOHN  W.  FRANCIS,  M.  D.  was  born  in  the  city  of  New- York  on  the 
17th  of  November,  1789.  His  father,  Melchior  Francis,  who  came  to 
this  country  shortly  after  the  peace  of  1783,  was  a  German  from  Nu- 
remberg, well  known  in  New- York  as  an  enterprizing,  upright  grocer, 
of  an  enthusiastic  temperament,  and  of  a  liberal  and  charitable  spirit, 
whose  career  of  usefulness  was  suddenly  arrested  by  death  from  yellow 
fever  in  1795,  in  the  35th  year  of  his  age.  His  mother  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  ;  her  family,  of  the  name  of  Somer,  were  originally 
from  Bern,  in  Switzerland  from  whom  there  are  numerous  descendants 
in  this  country,  now  residing  in  the  above-named  State.  Her  children 
were  mere  infants  when  her  husband  died ;  but  she  was  left  in  cir- 
cumstances sufficiently  easy  to  give  them  a  good  education.  JOHN, 
the  eldest,  after  receiving  the  common  early  instruction,  was  sent  to  a 
school  of  no  little  reputation  under  the  charge  of  the  Reverend  George 
Strebeck,  with  whom  he  commenced  the  study  of  mathematics  and 
the  Latin  language,  and  afterward  continued  his  classical  pursuits 
under  the  direction  of  the  Reverend  John  Conroy,  a  profound  scholar, 
and  a  distinguished  graduate  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  By  the  aid 
of  this  excellent  teacher  he  was  enabled  to  enter  an  advanced  class  in 
Columbia  College,  where,  in  1809,  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor, 
and  in  1812  that  of  Master  of  Arts. 

While  an  under-graduate,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  having  resolved 
to  adopt  the  medical  profession,  devoted  a  portion  of  his  time  to  its 
studies  ;  he  was  enabled  to  accomplish  this  by  a  strong  natural  capa- 
city, and  by  an  ardor  and  perseverance  which  have  marked  his  whole 
course  of  life ;  he  had  not  only  mental  energy,  but  a  vigorous  con- 


JOHN  W.  FRANCIS. 

stitution,  which  sustained  his  intense  application  in  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge. 

In  1807,  then  still  an  under-graduate  as  above-mentioned,  he  com- 
menced his  professional  studies  with  the  late  Dr.  David  Hosack,  the 
able  and  eloquent  teacher,  at  that  time  professor  of  Materia  Medica  and 
Botany  in  Columbia  College,  and  among  those  most  entensively  engag- 
ed in  the  practice  of  physic  in  New- York.  Under  this  eminent  pre- 
ceptor MR.  FRANCIS  had  ample  opportunities  of  witnessing  the  princi- 
ples of  the  art  illustrated  by  their  practical  application.  During  the 
period  of  his  professional  studies  for  four  collegiate  years,  he  never  ab- 
sented himself  from  a  single  lecture,  nor  attended  one  without  making 
notes  or  abstracts  on  the  subject  taught  by  the  lecturer.  His  clinical 
knowledge  was  also  much  increased  by  a  constant  attendance  at  the 
New- York  Hospital,  then  enjoying  the  rich  experience  of  Drs.  Post, 
Kissam,  Stringham,  and  others  ;  and  at  the  City  Almshouse,  an  exten- 
sive charity,  the  medical  department  of  which  was  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Drs.  Hosack  and  Macneven,  the  clinical  instructors. 

Several  laws  for  the  greater  improvement  of  medical  science  were 
enacted  about  this  period  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New- York. 
County  Medical  Societies  had  been  formed  the  year  before,  and  pro- 
mised much  advantage  to  the  cause  of  professional  learning.  The  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  under  the  authority  of  the  Regents  of 
the  University,  was  organized  in  1807.  From  this  institution,  in  1811, 
MR.  FRANCIS  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  This  was  at  the  first  com- 
mencement of  that  school  under  the  Presidency  of  Dr.  Samuel  Bard, 
and  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  the  first  graduate  who  recorded 
his  name  in  the  College  Album.  DR.  FRANCIS'S  inaugural  thesis  was 
a  dissertation  on  mercury,  embracing  its  medical  history,  curative  ac- 
tion, and  abuse  in  disease.  His  researches  were  extensive,  while  many 
of  his  views  were  novel  and  profound,  and  have  since  been  confirmed 
by  the  philosophical  inquiries  of  British  and  other  foreign  practitioners. 
This  production  acquired  for  him  great  credit  at  once  among  his  fel- 
low graduates  and  the  faculty  generally  ;  it  has  been  repeatedly  noticed 
by  different  writers  in  various  languages,  and  maintains  its  reputation 
at  the  present  day. 

DR.  FRANCIS  had  been  in  practice  a  few  months  only,  when  his  late 
preceptor  proposed  to  him  a  co-partnership  in  business.  This  propo- 
sition, from  the  high  standing  of  Dr.  Hosack,  was  too  flattering  to  be 
declined.  This  connection  lasted  till  1820,  since  which  time  DR. 
FRANCIS  has  continued  in  practice  by  himself. 

From  the  first  organization  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

geons,  the  professorial  chairs  were  filled  by  men  of  acknowledged 
learning  and  ability  most  of  whom  were  much  distinguised  as  teachers. 

In  the  spring  of  1813  DR.  FRANCIS  received  from  the  trustees  of 
the  institution  the  appointment  of  lecturer  on  the  Institutes  of  Medi- 
cine and  Materia  Medica.  Shortly  after  this  period,  an  union  being 
effected  between  the  rival  institutions,  the  medical  faculty  of  Columbia 
College  and  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  he  received  from 
the  regents  the  professorship  of  Materia  Medica.  He  delivered  his  first 
public  course  of  instruction  to  a  class  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  stu- 
dents, declining  all  compensation  for  his  services,  that  the  consolidation 
of  two  schools  of  medicine,  which  had  brought  together  so  numerous  a 
body  of  professors,  might  not  too  much  enhance  the  price  of  education 
to  those  who  wished  to  attend  a  full  course  of  lectures.  About  this 
time  he  published  a  historical  account  of  the  College,  with  a  syllabus 
or  outline  of  the  several  courses  of  lectures.  The  students  of  this  new 
school,  upon  its  chartered  establishment,  had  formed  themselves  into  a 
medical  society,  similar  to  that  at  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  to  im- 
prove their  minds  by  weekly  discussions  on  medical  and  surgical  sub- 
jects. The  President  of  the  Society,  which  was  termed  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  Society,  was  chosen  from  the  professors  of  the  College ; 
and  for  many  years  DR.  FRANCIS  was  elected  to  preside  over  it,  suc- 
ceeding in  this  appointment  the  learned  Dr.  Mitchill. 

Strongly  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  the  city  of  New- York 
possessed  all  the  requisites  for  a  great  medical  school,  alive  to  the 
importance  of  tin  extended  system  of  medical  education,  and  cheered 
by  the  rising  prospects  of  the  institution  to  which  he  was  attached, 
DR.  FRANCIS  resolved  to  visit  Europe,  having  in  view,  as  well  to 
profit  by  the  lessons  of  instruction  afforded  by  the  old  world,  as  to 
transfer,  as  far  as  lay  within  his  power,  what  was  valuable  and  prac- 
ticable to  the  new.  While  in  London  he  became  a  pupil  of  the  illus- 
trious Abernethy,  and  witnessed  the  practice  of  St.  Bartholomew's 
hospital ;  attended  the  lectures  of  Brande  at  the  Royal  Institution,  those 
of  Pearson  at  St.  George's  hospital,  &c.  Between  Abernethy  and 
FRANCIS  there  sprung  up  so  strong  an  attachment,  that  the  former  of- 
fered the  latter  a  share  of  his  business,  which  at  that  time  was  oppres- 
sively extensive. 

According  to  a  memoir  to  which  this  biographical  sketch  is  much 
indebted,*  besides  England,  DR.  FRANCIS  visited  Scotland,  Ireland, 
Holland,  and  France. 

With  eager  curiosity  he  examined  most  that  was  rare  and  promi- 

*  New  England  Magazine,  vol.  7th. 

4 


JOHN  W.  FRANCIS. 

nent  in  these  countries.  His  letters  gave  him  access  to  scholars  and 
men  of  science  wherever  he  travelled.  In  Edinburgh  he  shared  the 
hospitality  of  the  great  professors,  and  visited  their  schools  so  re- 
nowned for  practical  wisdom.  Here  he  listened  to  the  eloquent  and 
classical  lectures  on  medicine  of  Dr.  James  Gregory,  and  the  able  ex- 
positions of  Professor  Jamieson  on  the  Wernerian  formations;  and  wit- 
nessed the  early  experiments  of  the  philosophic  Brewster,  in  his  private 
study,  on  the  polarization  of  light.  In  Dublin  he  was  received  with 
true  Irish  cordiality ;  and  found  in  the  anatomical  preparations  of  Mc- 
Cartney, specimens  which  rival  even  those  of  John  Hunter.  Regard- 
ing his  professional  object  as  the  most  important  one  of  his  mission,  he 
was  obliged  to  resist  the  strong  impulse  which  prompted  him  to  pass 
beyond  the  Rhine  ;  and  most  reluctantly  turned  his  back  upon  the 
country,  toward  which,  as  the  land  of  his  fathers,  he  felt  the  dutiful 
yearnings  of  a  son;  and  for  which,  as  the  birth-place  of  Herder, 
Schiller,  and  Goethe,  he  entertained  the  reverence  of  a  scholar.  In 
Holland,  the  anatomical  theatre  where  Ruysch  once  taught,  and  the 
garden  where  Boerhaave  once  displayed  the  harmonies  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom,  awakened  to  recollection  the  glories  which  have  long 
since  departed.  In  France,  with  Denon,  he  viewed  in  his  cabinet,  and 
in  those  institutions  under  his  care,  all  that  was  magnificent  in  the 
arts.  Gall  displayed  to  him  the  rich  materials  of  his  collections,  on 
which  he  founded  his  system  of  craniology  ;  while  the  "  Jardin  des 
Plantes,"  under  the  direction  of  M.  Thouin,  gave  him  new  ardor  for 
a  knowledge  of  the  wonders  of  creation.  With  Cuvier  he  examined 
the  objects  more  intimately  connected  with  his  own  profession. 

We  are  not  wanting  in  proofs  of  the  enthusiasm  and  success  with 
which  the  subject  of  this  article  prosecuted  his  European  tour.  It 
was  such  as  to  excite  the  notice  of  many  of  his  most  enlightened  fo- 
reign acquaintances.  One  thus  speaks  :  "  I  feel  much  gratified  by  the 
opportunity  you  afforded  me  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  DR.  FRAN- 
CIS. A  mind  more  ardent  in  the  pursuit  of  useful  knowledge  perhaps 
never  existed  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  will,  in  a  few  years,  stand  at 
the  head  of  his  profession.  I  introduced  him  to  my  son-in-law,  Dr. 
Yeates,  who  is  an  able  and  learned  physician ;  he  entertains  a  high 
opinion  of  your  friend's  talents,  and  I  am  sure  will  at  all  times  be 
happy  in  the  opportunity  of  being  useful  to  him."*  DR.  FRANCIS  is 
warm  in  his  admiration  of  those  lights  of  knowledge  he  everywhere 
encountered  in  his  travels ;  but  though  enamoured  with  the  learned 

•Letter  of  the  late  Patrick  Colquhoun,  author  of  the  Police  of  London,  &c.  Life  of  Eddy, 
byS.  L.Knapp. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

men  he  met  in  different  countries,  his  political  affections  were  wedded 
to  his  own  ;  and  in  the  midst  of  his  European  attachments,  he  was  still 
a  republican  in  his  principles. 

On  his  return  to  New- York  he  found  that  some  changes  had  been 
made  in  the  disposition  of  the  professorships  in  the  College  ;  the  duties 
of  the  chair  of  JVTateria  Medica  had  been  added  to  that  of  Chemis- 
try. He  was  at  once  appointed  by  the  Regents  of  the  University  pro- 
fessor of  the  Institutes  of  Medicine.  On  the  death  of  Dr.  Stringham, 
in  1817.  the  department  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  heretofore  taught 
with  applause  by  that  gentleman,  was  assigned  to  DR.  FRANCIS. 
Another  change  took  place  in  1819,  by  resignation,  by  which  DR. 
FRANCIS  became  Professor  of  Obstetrics  and  Medical  Jurisprudence. 
This  appointment  he  held  until  1826,  when  he  resigned,  at  the  same 
time  with  his  colleagues,  Drs.  Hosack,  Mott,  Mcneven,  and  Mitchill  ; 
Dr.  Post  had  given  up  the  professorship  of  Anatomy  a  short  time  pre- 
viously. The  board  of  regents  accepted  the  resignation  of  the  faculty, 
and  presented  them  their  thanks  "  for  the  faithful  and  able  manner  in 
"which  they  had  filled  their  respective  chairs  as  instructors  and  lectur- 
ers in  said  College." 

During  the  same  year  in  which  the  resignation  of  the  professors  of 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  occurred,  a  majority  of  them 
founded  and  organized  a  new  institution  at  their  individual  expense, 
under  the  name  of  Rutgers'  Medical  College.  In  the  place  of  Professor 
Post,  Anatomy  and  Physiology  was  assigned  to  the  late  distinguished 
Dr.  Godman,  who,  at  the  instance  of  Professor  FRANCIS,  left  Philadel- 
phia for  a  larger  sphere  of  usefulness  and  profit.  The  success  of  this 
new  school  for  four  terms  was  triumphant,  at  the  end  of  which  period 
the  legislative  wisdom  of  the  State  thought  proper  to  close  the  doors  of 
the  College.  It  is  believed  that  every  friend  and  patron  of  sound  prac- 
tical medicine  now  admits  that  the  interests  of  medical  learning  sus- 
tained a  severe  loss  by  this  measure. 

In  the  Rutgers'  Medical  College  DR.  FRANCIS  was  chosen  Profess- 
or of  Obstetrics  and  Forensic  Medicine.  In  the  number  of  pupils,  his 
classes  were  second  only  to  those  of  Anatomy,  which  are  always  most 
fully  attended  in  every  well-arranged  medical  institution.  The  close 
relationship  between  many  parts  of  the  physiological  portion  of  a 
course  of  instruction  on  Obstetrics,  with  numerous  topics  discussed  in 
legal  medicine,  justified,  on  the  part  of  the  professor,  repeated  disquisi- 
tions of  the  most  interesting  nature;  and  these,  by  an  ample  museum, 
were  made  the  more  clear  and  satisfactory.  In  his  third  edition  of  the 
work  of  Dr.  Denman,  a  large  amount  of  medico-legal  facts  and  opi- 


JOHN  W.  FRANCIS. 

nions  is  introduced  ;  and  in  the  same  volume  is  embraced  his  history 
of  the  Obstetric  art,  from  the  time  of  the  ancients  to  that  of  the  latest 
writers  on  the  subject,  which  has  received  the  approbation  both  of  the 
erudite  and  the  practical.  The  number  of  students  under  his  care 
while  he  was  connected  with  the  institutions  above-named,  was  proba- 
bly greater  than  that  of  any  other  professor  in  the  city.  He  devoted 
from  four  to  six  hours  a  day  to  public  and  private  instruction  in  the 
several  departments  of  the  science  ;  other  portions  of  time  were  devot- 
ed to  the  labor  of  practice.  With  the  termination  of  all  collegiate  du- 
ties, he  resolved  to  confine  his  attention  to  the  practice  of  physic  ex- 
clusively. In  his  parting  address  to  his  public  class,  he  stated  the 
causes  which  would  thereafter  dissolve  the  relationship  of  pupil  and 
preceptor,  paid  the  tribute  of  grateful  respect  to  the  magnanimous  pa- 
trons by  whom  the  College  had  been  countenanced,  and  held  up  to  ad- 
miration and  example  that  guardian  genius  of  all  establishments  for 
the  diffusion  of  useful  knowledge, — Dewitt  Clinton. 

DR.  FRANCIS'S  early  introduction  to  practice  and  teaching,  however 
laborious  and  anxious  the  task,  led  not  to  the  neglect  of  those  inter- 
vals of  leisure  which  occur  in  the  lives  of  all.  Convinced  that  the 
charms  of  medical  reading,  and  the  diffusion  of  medical  and  scientific 
knowledge,  would  both  be  promoted  by  the  establishment  of  a  new 
periodical  journal  in  New- York,  he,  while  a  student,  united  with  his 
preceptor,  Dr.  Hosack.  and  issued,  in  1810,  a  prospectus  for  the  Ame- 
rican Medical  and  Philosophical  Register.  This  work  was  published 
quarterly,  and  continued  for  four  years.  It  was  filled  almost  entirely 
with  original  materials.  After  the  completion  of  the  fourth  volume, 
the  editors  assumed  the  responsibility  of  the  work,  and  announced 
their  names.  In  conjunction  with  the  late  Dr.  Dyckman  and  Dr. 
Beck,  he  was  for  some  time  editor  of  the  New- York  Medical  and 
Physical  Journal,  which  was  projected  in  1822.  He  continued  as  one 
of  the  editors  until  the  termination  of  the  third  volume.  This  work 
contains  a  number  of  his  medical  observations  and  records. 

DR.  FRANCIS  has  written  papers,  in  many  different  medical  and 
scientific  journals  in  the  United  States,  on  subjects  connected  with 
his  profession  :  among  the  most  prominent  of  these,  and  of  a  practical 
nature,  are  his  observations  on  the  use  of  vitriolic  emetics  in  croup, 
with  details  of  cases  in  which  this  remedy  was  effective  after  the 
formation  of  the  adventitious  membrane  lining  the  trachea.  This  novel 
method  of  cure  has  since  often  proved  successful  in  other  hands  in 
this  country,  and  has  recently  been  adopted  abroad  :  remarks  on  the 
goitre  as  it  prevails  in  the  western  parts  of  New- York  and  Canada : 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

cases  of  ovarian  disease ;  on  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  sangui- 
naria  Canadensis  :  history  of  a  remarkable  case  of  a  diverticulum 
of  the  ilium :  cases  in  morbid  anatomy  :  facts  and  inferences  in  medi- 
cal jurisprudence :  on  phlegmasia  dolens  occurring  in  the  male  sub- 
ject ;  on  caries  of  the  lower  jaw  in  children  :  on  elaterium  and  cro- 
tonoil :  cases  of  icthyosis  :  observations  on  the  mineral  waters  of  Avon 
in  Livingston  County,  New- York,  deduced  from  chemical  experiments 
and  medicinal  trials.  His  letter  on  febrile  contagion,  dated  in  Lon- 
don, 1816,  and  addressed  to  Dr.  Hosack,  contains  an  exposition  of  cer- 
tain British  writers,  on  the  insusceptibility  of  the  human  constitution 
to  a  second  attack  of  the  yellow  fever.  This  curious  fact  concerning 
the  nature  of  this  disease  in  certain  latitudes,  which  was  strongly 
maintained  by  various  authors  of  Great  Britain  and  the  West  Indies, 
received  additional  support,  in  many  striking  cases,  from  the  observa- 
tions which  this  letter  brought  to  light,  that  had  been  made  by  many 
American  physicians  upon  the  pestilence  in  different  seaports  of  the 
United  States.  Other  papers  might  be  referred  to  containing  his  cli- 
nical opinions ;  his  reflections  upon  the  nature  and  treatment  of  scarlet 
fever  and  other  disorders  may  be  found  in  the  improved  edition  of 
Good's  Study  of  Medicine  edited  by  Dr.  Doane. 

State  medicine,  or  that  division  of  science  which  comprehends  the 
principles  of  evidence  afforded  by  the  different  branches  of  medicine, 
in  elucidating  and  determining  questions  in  courts  of  law,  had  been 
long  and  advantageously  taught  in  German  and  other  continental 
universities,  when,  in  1807,  the  chair  of  Medical  Jurisprudence  was 
founded  at  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  and  Dr.  Duncan,  Jun., 
appointed  Professor.  The  following  year  Dr.  Stringham,  who  had 
graduated  at  that  school,  gave  a  course  of  lectures,  the  first  delivered 
in  the  United  States,  on  the  same  subject,  in  the  college  at  New- York. 
As  his  successor,  DR.  FRANCIS  was  among  the  earliest,  teachers  in  the 
United  States  of  this  important  and  now  generally  cultivated  depart- 
ment of  knowledge.  But  it  was  not  merely  as  a  teacher  that  he  ex- 
hibited the  extent  of  his  inquiries  and  practical  researches  in  forensic 
medicine,  and  enlisted  the  enthusiasm  of  the  student.  During  the 
greater  part  of  his  professional  career,  in  almost  every  case  of  criminal 
prosecution  in  our  judicial  courts,  his  opinions  have  been  solicited,  and 
have  seldom  or  ever  been  the  subject  of  doubt  or  controversy.  DR. 
FRANCIS  invariably  availed  himself  of  the  deductions  which  ana- 
tomy and  pathology  afford. 

Nor  have  either  his  studies  or  his  writings  been  confined  to  subjects 
strictly  professional.  Several  of  his  biographical  notices  are  valuable 


JOHN  W.  FRANCIS. 

contributions  to  the  stock  of  elegant  and  general  literature :  these 
sketches  are  drawn  with  a  free  and  manly  hand,  with  faithfulness  and 
discrimination.  Among  the  most  valuable  of  them  may  be  mentioned 
his  account  of  Cadwallader  Golden,  one  of  the  earliest  practitioners 
of  physic  in  New- York ;  those  of  Edward  Miller,  Benjamin  Rush, 
Archibald  Bruce  ;  James  S.  Stringham,  Thomas  Eddy.  His  record  of 
Samuel  L.  Mitchill,  in  the  first  volume  of  the  National  Portrait  Gal- 
lery, is  an  honorable  testimony  to  the  memory  of  that  remarkable 
man,  whose  genius  and  character  will  be  more  highly  valued  the 
longer  his  merits  are  contemplated.  The  occasional  addresses  of  DR. 
FRANCIS  are  written  with  taste  and  spirit  united  with  candor  and  good 
feeling.  His  address  to  the  New- York  Horticultural  Society,  in  elegant 
language,  portrays  the  beauties  of  nature  adorned  by  art.  The  ora- 
tion before  the  literary  societies  of  Columbia  College,  in  May,  1831, 
exhibits  an  important  outline  of  the  life  and  services  of  that  distin- 
guished patriot,  the  late  Chancellor  Livingston.  The  venerable 
President  Madison  transmitted  a  letter  of  approbation  to  the  author, 
for  the  service  he  had  rendered  to  American  Biography,  by  his  inter- 
esting account  of  the  revolutionary  patriot.*  His  discourse  at  the 
opening  of  the  new  hall  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History,  as  yet 
but  partially  in  print,  is  perhaps  his  most  extensive  production.  It 
was  delivered  in  December,  1836  :  its  object  is  to  recommend  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  natural  sciences,  and  to  bring  together  the  most  striking 
and  important  facts  yet  made  known,  concerning  the  natural  history 
and  physical  resources  of  the  new  world. 

The  humane  physician  is  perhaps  more  exposed  than  any  other 
member  of  society  to  taxes  on  his  time  and  benevolence  :  in  seasons 
of  pestilence  and  calamity,  the  claims  of  charity  are  not  to  be  slighted 
or  avoided.  The  later  visitations  of  the  yellow  fever,  and  of  the  malig- 
nant cholera,  bear  witness  to  his  sensibility  to  the  cause  of  humanity, 
and  to  his  intrepid  discharge  of  his  duties.  His  clinical  views  of  the 
new  Asiatic  plague,  as  it  prevailed  in  New- York  in  1832,  in  which 
city  it  entombed  upwards  of  four  thousand  inhabitants,  are  published  in 
a  letter  to  Dr.  Reed  of  Savannah.  This  letter  was  so  favorably  received 
at  that  anxious  period,  that  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  copies, 
in  various  forms,  were  circulated  in  different  sections  of  the  Union.  In 
France  it  excited  the  attention  of  professional  men  ;  and  the  authorities 
at  Havanna,  when  the  cholera  appeared  there,  had  the  pamphlet  trans- 
lated into  the  Spanish  language,  and  widely  diffused  through  the 
island  of  Cuba. 

*  This  biography  is  re-published  in  the  3d  volume  of  this  work. 

9 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

DR.  FRANCIS  has  been  honored  with  membership  in  many  humane, 
literary,  and  scientific  societies  at  home  a"  I  abroad,  and  is  in  corres- 
pondence with  several  of  their  associates. 

The  foregoing  sketch  of  DR.  FRANCIS  exhibits  a  life  more  active 
than  eventful,  but  evidently  one  that  would  have  been  far  more  event- 
ful had  it  been  less  active.  Engaged  in  the  duties  of  a  laborious  pro- 
fession, in«a  great  city,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty,  and  soon  after  called 
upon  to  apply  all  his  unexpended  energies  to  sustain  and  advance  the 
reputation  of  a  newly-established  medical  school,  and  to  assist  in  edit- 
ing a  medical  journal,  he  could  have  found  but  little  leisure  for  un- 
broken study,  or  the  preparation  of  elaborate  treatises  on  the  art  to 
which  he  is  devoted.  Untiring  activity  in  his  proper  vocation,  and 
scrupulous  devotion  to  its  claims,  have  characterized  his  whole  pro- 
fessional career.  The  hope  of  being  able  to  relieve  his  suffering 
fellow-beings  has  ever  been  sufficient  to  call  forth  every  exertion, 
and  every  sacrifice  in  his  power  to  make.  The  call  of  poverty 
has  always  been  as  loud  in  his  ear,  and  has  been  answered  with  as 
much  alacrity,  as  that  of  wealth.  It  is  well  known  that  his  services 
and  his  contributions  to  the  relief  of  distress,  would  together  amount 
to  sums  surpassing  the  charities  of  many  men  of  the  largest  means. 
There  are  many  extraordinary  traits  in  the  character  of  the  subject  of 
this  memoir,  which  have  scarcely  been  touched  upon  from  its  neces- 
sary brevity ;  among  them  none  more  remarkable  than  the  facility 
and  fidelity  with  which  he  goes  through  his  duties ;  the  every-day 
demands  constantly  develope  in  him  an  energy,  a  power  of  endurance, 
and  a  disregard  to  personal  comfort,  that  are  called  forth  in  others  only 
by  great  emergencies  and  trying  occasions.  The  amount  of  labor 
performed  by  him  is  almost  unexampled  ;  he  accomplishes  more  of 
every  thing,  and  besides  has  more  of  social  enjoyment,  than  most 
others.  It  is  the  same  with  his  mind  as  with  his  body :  no  drafts  upon 
it  exhaust  its  power,  its  stock  is  always  at  command.  The  possessor  of 
such  a  mind  must  naturally  sigh  for  a  release  from  the  thraldom  of  pro- 
fessional toil,  and  the  liberty  to  expatiate  freely  and  widely  in  the  regions 
of  thought.  If  such  a  boon  is  ever  earned  by  years  of  faithful  ser- 
vice, and  benevolent  exertion  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  DR.  FRANCIS 
will  not  fail  of  obtaining  it ;  and  we  know  that  he  would  ask  for  him- 
self no  higher  reward,  nor  would  we  ask  for  him  greater  glory,  or  for 
science  more  honor,  than  he  would  confer  upon  her,  could  he  be  al- 
lowed to  enjoy  it. 


Engraved  by  J.  Gross  from  a  drawing  by  J.  B.  Longicre  after  the  Bust  by  Fraaee. 


L.  L.  D.     F.    R.  S 


NATHANIEL    BOWDITCH, 
LL.D.   F.R.S. 

OP  all  the  various  branches  of  intellectual  pursuit,  that  science 
which  explains  the  system  of  the  universe,  and  reveals  the  mechanism 
of  the  heavens,  must  always  take  the  lead  as  the  most  sublime  and 
marvellous  ;  and  the  foremost  and  most  successful  cultivators  of  this 
science  will  always  be  classed  among  the  greatest  of  men.  What, 
indeed,  can  be  more  astonishing  than  that  a  being  like  one  of  us,  en- 
dowed, apparently,  with  no  higher  or  different  powers,  should  be  able 
to  obtain  so  minute  and  accurate  knowledge  of  those  distant  planets, 
and  be  as  well  acquainted  with  their  constitution,  elements,  and  laws, 
as  the  geologist,  the  chemist,  the  botanist,  with  the  appropriate  objects 
of  their  sciences  ?  Nothing  gives  so  exalted  an  idea  of  the  power  of 
man,  and  the  extent  and  reach  of  his  capacities,  as  his  ability  to  cal- 
culate with  unerring  precision  the  distances  of  those  twinkling  orbs  ; 
to  determine  their  figures,  magnitudes,  and  velocities  ;  to  measure  their 
weight,  estimate  their  relative  attractions  and  disturbing  forces ;  deli- 
neate their  orbits,  register  their  laws  of  motion,  fix  the  times  of  their 
revolution,  and  predict  the  periods  of  their  return.  To  a  common 
mind,  uninstructed  in  the  science,  there  is  nothing  that  appears  so  much 
like  divine  wisdom.  A  Galileo,  a  Kepler,  a  Newton,  seem  to  him  to 
belong  to  another  race,  a  higher  order  of  beings.  They  appear  to 
possess  some  additional  faculties. 

Nothing  can  be  more  certain  than  the  doctrines  of  Astronomy. 
They  rest  on  impregnable  foundations,  on  the  demonstrations  of  mathe- 
matical evidence,  than  which  nothing,  except  the  evidence  of  con- 
sciousness, can  be  more  satisfactory  and  conclusive.  It  was  a  science 
that  early  engaged  the  notice  of  men,  and  it  has  always  exercised  a 
purifying  and  elevating  influence  on  its  votaries.  Indeed,  how  could 
it  be  otherwise  ?  Who  can  look  upon  those  brilliant  points,  and  not 
fancy  them  the  spangled  pavement  of  a  divine  abode  ?  There  is  virtue, 
as  well  as  poetry  and  philosophy  in  them.  They  shed  down  a  heal- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

ing  and  restorative  influence  upon  their  worshippers.  They  are  the 
symbols  of  endurance  and  perpetuity. 

Death  has  recently  deprived  the  scientific  world  of  one  of  its  no- 
blest ornaments — one,  who  confessedly  occupied  the  most  prominent 
place  among  the  scientific  men  of  this  country.  His  position  as  a 
public  man,  the  various  posts  and  offices  he  filled,  and  especially  the 
value  of  his  works  to  the  advancement  of  science,  the  improvement 
of  navigation,  and  the  security  of  commercial  enterprizes,  justify  the 
notice  which  we  now  propose  to  take  of  his  life  and  character.  There 
was  much  of  that  life  instructive  and  encouraging,  particularly  to  the 
young,  the  friendless,  and  the  poor  :  there  was  much  in  that  character 
worthy  of  eulogy  and  imitation. 

NATHANIEL  BOWDITCH  was  born  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  on  the 
26th  day  of  March,  1773.  He  was  the  fourth  child  of  Habakkuk  and 
Mary  Ingersoll  Bowditch.  His  ancestors,  for  three  generations,  had 
been  shipmasters  ;  and  his  father,  after  retiring  from  that  employment, 
carried  on  the  trade  of  a  cooper,  by  which  he  gained  a  scanty  and 
precarious  subsistence  for  a  family  of  seven  children.  He  enjoyed  no 
other  advantages  of  early  instruction  than  such  as  could  be  obtained 
at  the  common  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  which  were  at  that 
time  very  inferior  to  what  they  have  since  become,  being  wholly  in- 
adequate to  furnish  even  the  ground-work  of  a  respectable  education. 
It  was  highly  honorable  to  him  that,  although  he  had  not  himself  the 
benefits  of  a  liberal  education,  he  felt  the  importance  and  acknow- 
ledged the  value  of  it ;  and  accordingly  gave  to  his  children  the  best 
which  the  country  afforded,  and  took  a  deep  interest,  and,  for  many 
years,  an  efficient  agency  in  the  University  at  Cambridge.  The  ad- 
vantages of  school,  such  as  they  were,  he.  was  obliged  to  forego  at  the 
early  age  often  years,  that  he  might  go  into  his  father's  shop  and  help 
to  support  the  family.  He  was,  however,  soon  transferred  as  an  ap- 
prentice to  a  ship-chandler,  in  whose  shop  he  continued  until  he  went 
to  sea,  first  as  clerk,  afterwards  as  supercargo,  and  finally  as  master 
and  supercargo  jointly.  It  was  whilst  he  was  in  the  ship-chandler's 
shop  that  his  characteristic  attachment  to  mathematical  pursuits 
first  developed  itself.  Every  moment  of  leisure  was  given  to  the 
slate. 

From  his  earliest  years  he  was  a  diligent  reader  ;  and  he  has  been 
heard  to  say  that,  when  quite  young,  he  read  through  a  whole  Ency- 
clopedia without  omitting  a  single  article. 

He  sailed  on  his  first  voyage  on  the  llth  of  January,  1795,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  as  clerk  to  Captain  Henry  Prince  on  board  the 


NATHANIEL  BOWDITCH. 

ship  Henry,  of  Salem.  The  ship  sailed  for  the  Isle  of  Bourbon,  and 
returned  home  after  an  absence  of  exactly  a  year. 

His  second  voyage  was  made  as  supercargo  on  board  the  ship 
Astraea,  of  Salem.  The  vessel  sailed  to  Lisbon,  touched  at  Madeira,  and 
then  proceeded  to  Manilla,  and  arrived  at  Salem  in  May,  1797.  He  made 
his  third  voyage  the  following  year,  to  Cadiz  and  the  Mediterranean. 
He  continued  in  the  same  ship,  and  sailed  on  his  fourth  voyage  in 
1799,  to  Batavia  and  Manilla,  and  returned  in  1800.  He  continued 
in  the  East  India  trade  until  1804,  when  he  quitted  the  sen,  and  be- 
came President  of  a  Marine  Insurance  Company  in  Salem. 

In  the  course  of  these  voyages  Mr.  BOWDITCH  took  great  interest 
in  the  instruction  of  the  sailors,  who  could  read  and  write,  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  navigation ;  and  he  never  appeared  so  happy  as  when  he 
could  inspire  a  sailor  with  a  proper  sense  of  his  individual  importance, 
and  of  the  talents  he  possessed,  and  might  call  into  action.  In  this  he 
was  remarkably  successful ;  and  at  Salem  it  was  considered  a  high 
recommendation  of  a  seaman  that  he  had  sailed  with  Mr.  BOW- 
DITCH,  and  it  was  often  sufficient  to  procure  for  him  an  officer's 
berth. 

His  attention  was  directed,  at  an  early  age,  to  the  Principia  of  New- 
ton ;  but  as  that  work  was  published  in  Latin,  a  language  which  he 
had  not  learned,  he  was  obliged  to  obtain  assistance  in  translating 
it ;  but  he  soon  discovered  that  his  own  knowledge  of  the  subject, 
with  the  aid  of  the  mathematical  processes  and  diagrams  on  the 
pages  of  the  work,  enabled  him  to  comprehend  the  reasoning  of  the 
author  ;  and  by  dint  of  perseverance  he  acquired  a  sufficient  know- 
ledge of  Latin  to  enable  him  to  read  any  work  of  science  in  it.  He 
afterwards  learned  French,  for  the  purpose  of  having  access  to  the  trea- 
sures of  mathematical  science  in  that  language ;  and  to  indulge  his 
taste  for  general  literature,  he  studied  Spanish,  German,  and  Italian. 

It  has  been  stated,  in  relation  to  the  origin  of  one  of  Mr.  BOW- 
DITCH'S  principal  works,  that  on  the  day  previous  to  his  sailing  on 
his  last  voyage  he  was  called  on  by  Mr.  Edmund  M.  Blunt,  then  a 
noted  publisher  of  charts  and  nautical  books  at  Newburyport,  and 
requested  to  continue  the  corrections  which  he  had  previously  com- 
menced on  John  Hamilton  Moore's  book  on  navigation,  then  in  com- 
mon use  on  board  our  vessels.  This  he  consented  to  do  ;  and  in  per- 
formance of  his  promise  he  detected  such  a  multitude  of  errors,  that 
it  led  to  the  construction  of  his  "  New  American  Practical  Naviga- 
tor," the  first  edition  of  which  was  published  in  1800,  and  has  been 
of  immense  service  to  the  nautical  and  commercial  interests  of  this 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

country.  It  is  a  work  abounding  with  the  actual  results  of  his  own 
experiencej  and  containing  simple  and  expeditious  formulas  for  work- 
ing nautical  problems.  Had  he  never  done  any  thing  else,  he  would, 
by  this  single  act,  have  conferred  a  lasting  obligation  to  his  native 
land.  Every  vessel  that  sails  from  the  ports  of  the  United  States, 
from  Eastport  to  New  Orleans,  is  navigated  by  the  rules  and  tables  of 
his  book.  It  is  also  extensively  used  in  the  British  and  French 
navies. 

In  1802,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  his  ship  lying  wind-bound  at 
Boston,  he  went  out  to  Cambridge  to  attend  the  exercises  on  com- 
mencement day ;  and  whilst  standing  in  one  of  the  aisles  of  the 
church,  the  President  announced  his  name  amongst  those  on  whom 
had  been  conferred  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  The  annunciation 
came  upon  him  wholly  by  surprise.  It  was  the  proudest  day  of  his 
life  ;  and  of  all  the  distinctions  which  he  subsequently  received  from 
numerous  learned  and  scientific  bodies  at  home  and  abroad,  there  was 
not  one  which  afforded  him  half  the  pleasure,  or  which  he  prized  so 
highly,  as  this  degree  from  Harvard. 

In  1806  Mr.  BOWDITCH  published  his  admirable  chart  of  the  har- 
bors of  Salem,  Beverly,  Marblehead,  and  Manchester,  the  survey  of 
which  had  occupied  him  during  three  summers.  This  was  a  work 
of  great  exactness  and  beauty. 

On  the  establishment  of  the  Massachusetts  Hospital  Life  Insurance 
Company,  at  Boston,  in  1823,  he  was  invited  to  take  charge  of  it, 
with  the  title  of  Actuary.  He  accepted  of  the  appointment,  and  ac- 
cordingly removed  to  that  city,  where  he  continued  to  reside  till  the 
time  of  his  decease.  He  discharged  the  duties  of  his  trust  with  skill 
and  fidelity,  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  company. 

While  he  resided  at  Salem,  he  undertook  his  translation  and  com- 
mentary on  the  great  work  of  the  French  astronomer,  La  Place,  enti- 
tled Mccanique  Ctleste.  This  was  the  great  work  of  his  life.  The 
illustrious  author  of  that  work  undertakes  to  explain  the  whole  me- 
chanism of  our  solar  system,  to  account  for  all  its  phenomena,  and  to 
reduce  all  the  anomalies  in  the  apparent  motions  and  figures  of  the 
planetary  bodies  to  certain  definite  laws.  It  is  a  work  of  great  ge- 
nius and  immense  depth,  and  exceedingly  difficult  to  be  comprehend- 
ed. This  arises  not  merely  from  the  intrinsic  difficulty  of  the  subject, 
and  the  medium  of  proof  being  the  higher  branches  of  the  mathema- 
tics, but  chiefly  from  the  circumstance  that  the  author,  taking  it  for 
granted  that  the  subject  would  be  as  plain  and  easy  to  others  as  to  him- 
self, very  often  omits  the  intermediate  steps  and  connecting  links  in  his 


NATHANIEL  BOWDITCH. 

demonstrations.  He  grasps  tne  conclusion  without  showing  the  pro- 
cess. Dr.  BOWDITCH  used  to  say,  "  I  never  come  across  one  of  La 
Place's  '  Thus  it  plainly  appears]  without  feeling  sure  that  I  have 
got  hours  of  hard  study  before  me  to  fill  up  the  chasm,  and  find  out 
and  show  how  it  plainly  appears."  This  gigantic  task  was  begun  in 
the  year  1815,  and  was  the  regular  occupation  of  his  leisure  hours  to 
the  time  of  his  death.  His  elucidation  and  commentaries,  while  they 
show  him  to  have  been  as  thoroughly  master  of  the  mighty  subject  as 
La  Place  himself,  will  make  that  great  work — the  most  profound  ot 
modern  times — accessible  to  innumerable  students,  who,  without  such 
aid,  would  be  compelled  to  forego  the  use  of  it.  Let  it  not  be  said, 
in  disparagement  of  the  labors  of  Dr.  BOWDITCH,  that  this  was  not 
an  original  work,  but  merely  a  translation.  Suppose  it  had  been  so. 
What  then  1  Was  it  not  still  a  benefaction  to  those  who  are  ac- 
quainted only  with  the  English  language  to  bring  this  great  work 
within  their  reach  ?  But  he  did  more.  It  is  more  than  half  an  origi- 
nal commentary  and  exposition,  simplifying  and  elucidating  what  was 
before  complex  and  obscure  ;  supplying  omissions  and  deficiencies,  for- 
tifying the  positions  with  new  proofs,  and  giving  additional  weight 
and  efficacy  to  the  old  ones  ;  and,  above  all,  recording  the  subsequent 
discoveries,  and  bringing  down  the  science  to  the  present  time.  It 
has  been  asserted  that  La  Place,  to  whom  Dr.  BOWDITCH  sent  a  list 
of  errors,  (which,  however,  he  never  had  the  grace  to  acknowledge  in 
any  way,)  once  remarked,  "  I  am  sure  that  Dr.  BOWDITCH  compre- 
hends my  work,  for  he  has  not  only  detected  my  errors,  but  has 
shown  me  how  I  came  to  fall  into  them." 

The  first  volume  of  the  work  was  published  in  the  year  1829,  the 
second  in  1832,  and  the  third  in  1834  ;  each  volume  containing  about 
a  thousand  quarto  pages.  The  fourth  and  last  volume  was  nearly 
completed  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  He  persevered  to  the  last  in  his 
labors  upon  it ;  preparing  the  copy,  and  reading  the  proof-sheets  in 
the  intervals  when  he  was  free  from  pain.  Though  the  work,  on  its 
appearance,  met  with  more  purchasers  than  he  expected,  yet  its  cost 
was  a  heavy  draft  on  his  income,  and  an  encroachment  on  his  little 
property.  Yet  it  was  cheerfully  paid  ;  and  besides  that,  he  gladly 
devoted  his  time,  his  talents,  his  health,  and  his  life,  to  the  cause  of 
science  and  the  honor  of  his  native  land.  That  work  is  his  monu- 
ment. He  needs  no  other. 

The  progress  of  Dr.  BOWDITCH'S  last  illness  was  so  unremitting, 
that  he  was  not  able  to  complete  the  final  revision  of  the  whole  of  his 
great  work.  The  fifth  and  only  remaining  volume  is,  comparatively, 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

of  little  importance,  and  it  probably  would  have  had  but  little  revision 
if  he  had  survived. 

Dr.  BOWDITCH  was  eminently  a  self-taught  and  a  self-made  man. 
Whatever  knowledge  he  possessed, — and  it  was  great, — was  of  his 
own  acquiring,  the  fruit  of  his  solitary  studies,  with  but  little  assist- 
ance from  abroad.  From  his  youth  up,  he  was  a  pattern  of  industry, 
enterprise,  and  perseverance ;  suffering  no  difficulties  to  discourage, 
no  disappointments  to  dishearten  him.  He  combined  qualities  and 
habits  which  are  usually  considered  incompatible.  He  was  a  con- 
templative, recluse  student ;  and  at  the  same  time  an  active  public 
man.  He  lived  habitually  among  the  stars,  and  yet  he  was  a  shrewd, 
practical  man,  and  one  of  the  most  skilful  of  financiers.  Judging 
from  his  published  works,  it  might  be  supposed  he  had  neither  taste 
nor  time  for  business,  or  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life  ;  and  judging  from 
the  large  concerns  which  he  managed,  and  the  vast  funds  of  which  he 
had  the  supervision,  it  would  seem  impossible  he  could  have  had  any 
time  for  study.  He  accomplished  all  by  an  economy  of  time,  and  the 
regularity  of  his  habits.  He  was  a  remarkably  domestic  man.  His  af- 
fections clustered  around  his  own  fireside.  His  attachment  to  the  calm 
and  simple  pleasures  of  his  home  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  traits  of 
his  character.  His  time  was  divided  between  his  office  and  his  house  ; 
he  was  seldom  drawn  into  company.  When  at  home,  he  spent  his 
time  in  his  library,  which  he  loved  to  have  considered  the  family  par- 
lor. By  very  early  rising,  in  winter  two  hours  before  light,  he  was 
enabled  to  accomplish  much  before  others  were  stirring.  After  taking 
his  evening  walk  he  was  again  always  to  be  found  in  the  library, 
pursuing  the  same  attractive  studies,  but  ready  and  glad,  at  the  en- 
trance of  a  visiter,  to  throw  aside  his  book,  unbend  his  mind,  and  in- 
dulge in  all  the  gaieties  of  a  light-hearted  conversation.  There  was 
nothing  that  he  seemed  to  enjoy  more  than  the  free  interchange  of 
thought  on  all  subjects  of  common  interest.  At  such  times  the  mathe- 
matician, the  astronomer,  the  man  of  science  disappeared  ;  and  he  pre- 
sented himself  as  the  frank,  easy,  familiar  friend.  It  was  hardly  cre- 
dible that  the  agreeable,  fascinating  companion,  who  talked  so  affably 
and  pleasantly  on  all  the  topics  of  the  day,  and  joined  so  heartily  in  the 
quiet  mirth  or  the  loud  laugh,  could  really  be  the  great  mathemati- 
cian who  had  expounded  the  mechanism  of  the  heavens,  and  taken 
his  place  with  Newton,  and  Leibnitz,  and  La  Place,  amongst  the  great 
proficients  in  exact  science. 

Although  mathematics  was  his  chief  and  favorite  pursuit,  Dr.  BOW- 
DITCH  still  had  a  taste  for  general  literature.  He  was  fond  of  Shak- 


NATHANIEL  BOWDITCH. 

speare,  and  Burns,  and  Bryant,  and  Sprague ;  and  remembered  and 
could  repeat  whole  passages  from  their  works. 

He  was  a  man  of  unsullied  purity  and  most  rigid  integrity ;  and 
was  always  true  to  his  moral  as  well  as  intellectual  convictions. 

From  his  boyhood,  his  mind  had  been  religiously  impressed.  He 
had  read  the  Bible  under  the  eye  of  a  pious  mother,  and  he  loved  to 
repeat  the  sublime  and  touching  language  of  Holy  Writ. 

His  last  days  were  marked  by  the  same  cheerfulness  and  serenity 
of  mind  that  we  naturally  look  for  on  the  death-bed  of  the  pure  and 
good.  The  disease  of  which  he  died  was  a  schirrus  in  the  stomach. 
For  four  weeks  previous  to  his  death,  he  could  take  no  solid  food, 
and  hardly  swallowed  any  liquid.  He  suffered,  however,  but  little 
from  hunger,  but  constantly  from  thirst ;  and  the  only  relief  and  re- 
freshment he  could  find  was,  in  frequently  moistening  his  lips  and 
mouth  with  cold  water.  His  frame  was  consequently  exceedingly 
attenuated,  and  his  flesh  wasted  away.  At  intervals  his  sufferings 
were  intense,  and  the  body  at  times  triumphed  over  the  spirit ;  but  it 
was  only  for  a  moment,  and  the  spirit  again  resumed  its  legitimate 
sovereignty.  On  the  morning  of  his  death,  when  his  sight  was  dim 
and  his  voice  almost  gone,  he  called  his  children  around  his  bed-side, 
and,  like  the  patriarch  Jacob,  addressed  each  by  name.  "  You  see," 
said  he,  "  I  can  distinguish  you  all,  and  I  now  give  you  my  parting 
blessing.  The  time  is  come ;  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart 
in  peace  according  to  thy  word."  These  were  his  last  words.  He 
died  on  Friday,  the  16th  day  of  March,  1838 ;  and  was  buried  pri- 
vately, on  the  morning  of  the  following  Sabbath,  under  Trinity  Church, 
in  Summer  Street,  Boston. 

Dr.  BOWDITCH  twice  held  a  seat  in  the  Executive  Council  of 
Massachusetts,  under  the  administration  of  Governors  Strong  and 
Brooks  ;  but  he  had  no  taste  for  public  life,  no  ambition  for  political 
honors. 

He  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  in  1799,  and  was  its  President  from  1829  to  the  time  of  his 
decease.  He  received  his  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Harvard  University 
in  1816,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Lon- 
don in  1818.  He  contributed  a  great  number  of  valuable  papers  to 
the  Memoirs  of  the  American  Academy,  and  was  the  author  of  the 
article  on  Modern  Astronomy,  in  Vol.  XX.  of  the  North  American 
Review.  There  is  also  a  brief  account  of  the  comet  of  1806  fur- 
nished by  him,  and  published  in  the  Monthly  Anthology,  Vol.  IV. 
He  was  an  active  and  efficient  member  of  the  Boston  Atheneum,  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

East  India  Marine  Society  of  Salem,  and  of  several  other  societies  of  a 
literary  or  benevolent  character. 

This  brief  account  of  the  life  and  character  of  "  the  Great  Pilot ' 
has  been  condensed  from  the  Rev.  Alexander  Young's  funeral  dis- 
course and  notes. 


/uk^L 


f 


PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK. 

Dr.  PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK  was  born  on  the  7th  of  July,  1768,  in 
Third,  near  Arch  street,  Philadelphia.  His  father,  Mr.  Edmund 
Physick,  was  a  native  of  England ;  and  his  mother,  Miss  Syng,  the 
daughter  of  a  highly  respectable  citizen  of  Philadelphia,  who  was 
one  of  the  early  friends  and  companions  of  Franklin ;  and  whose 
name  appears  on  the  register  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  as 
one  of  its  founders,  and  also  connected  with  other  undertakings  of  pub- 
lic utility  at  that  period. 

The  celebrity  of  Doctor  PHYSICK  has  been  so  general,  that  to  the 
American  reader  it  is  almost  superfluous  to  state  that  he  was  distin- 
guished by  a  long  and  brilliant  course  in  Surgery  and  Medicine ;  by 
a  deep  and  universal  conviction  on  the  medical  and  public  mind  of 
this  country  in  favor  of  his  skill ;  and  by  traits  of  character  so  promi- 
nent and  so  peculiar,  that  the  chances  are  very  improbable  of  their 
being  repeated  in  any  other  individual.  Even  if  Nature  should  renew 
her  production,  the  difference  of  circumstances  in  which  it  will  be 
placed,  from  the  immense  changes  constantly  and  rapidly  occurring 
in  our  social  state,  will  prevent  the  same  mode  and  degree  of  develop- 
ment. 

The  subject  of  our  memoir  received  his  academic  education  from 
Robert  Proud,  in  "  Friends'  Academy,"  and  during  the  time  lived  in 
the  family  of  Mr.  John  Tod,  the  father-in-law  of  the  present  Mrs.  Ma- 
dison. He  then  entered  the  classical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  obtained  his  knowledge  of  the  languages  from  Mr. 
James  Davidson,  one  of  the  best  scholars  of  his  day,  No  small  fond- 
ness for  these  his  earlier  studies  remained  with  him  to  the  end  of  his 
life. 

Having  passed  honorably  through  his  college  studies,  he  received 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  His  father  now  considered  him  ready 
to  engage  in  the  study  of  medicine,  and  placed  him  under  the  charge 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

of  the  late  Dr.  Adam  Kuhn  one  of  the  most  learned  and  successful 
physicians  of  that  day. 

His  first  introduction  to  anatomy  excited  strongly  his  aversion  and 
disgust  to  the  profession  of  medicine — it  was  the  boiling  of  a  skeleton 
in  the  Medical  College  in  Fifth  street,  now  the  Health  Office.  He  re- 
turned home,  and  implored  his  father  to  change  his  destination  ;  it  was 
all  in  vain.  Finding  his  father  thus  inexorable,  he  began  his  medical 
studies  in  earnest. 

When  twenty  years  of  age,  in  1788,  his  father  took  him  to  London, 
and  succeeded  in  fixing  him  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  John  Hunter, 
the  great  surgeon  of  the  day ;  and  now  looked  upon  as  the  first  medi- 
cal man  that  the  British  empire  has  produced,  his  posthumous  reputa- 
tion having  gone  vastly  beyond  any  that  he  ever  had,  when  alive. 

Being  placed  in  a  dissecting-room,  he  distinguished  himself  in  a 
short  time  by  his  assiduity,  and  by  the  neatness  and  success  of  his  dis- 
sections ;  he  became  a  favorite  with  Mr.  Home,  the  assistant  in  the 
rooms,  and  also  with  Mr.  Hunter.  The  confidence  and  partiality  of 
the  latter  were  exhibited  in  the  year  1790,  while  he  was  still  a  student 
under  him,  by  Mr.  Hunter  using  great  exertions,  and  successfully,  to 
get  him  elected  House  Surgeon  to  St.  George's  Hospital. 

In  the  year  1791  he  received  his  diploma  from  the  Royal  College 
of  Surgeons  in  London.  After  which  he  visited  Edinburgh,  and  hav- 
ing spent  a  winter  there,  took  out  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
in  the  University,  in  1792.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  he  re- 
turned home,  highly  instructed  in  his  profession  ;  after  having  declin- 
ed offers  by  his  preceptor  Mr.  Hunter,  of  a  promising  and  advantage- 
ous kind,  for  him  to  settle  in  London,  this  course  was  probably  influ- 
enced in  some  degree  by  his  health,  which  the  climate  and  atmosphere 
of  that  metropolis  did  not  suit. 

The  year  1793  brought  him  distinctly  and  prominently  into  pub- 
lic notice.  The  premonitory  indications  of  a  fatal  epidemic  being 
on  the  approach,  were  but  too  faithfully  verified,  when,  on  the  19th  of 
August,  the  celebrated  Rush  announced  to  his  fellow-citizens  that  a 
malignant  and  mortal  fever  had  broken  out  among  them.  This  start- 
ling intelligence,  whereby  the  repose  of  the  public  mind  was  disturbed, 
was  received  with  the  agitation  and  surprise  created  by  some  unex- 
pected convulsion  of  nature  ;  by  some  it  was  discredited,  and  strong 
indignation  expressed  against  its  author.  The  celerity,  however,  with 
which  the  disease  invaded  the  several  walks  of  life,  left  no  room  for 
disputation,  and  all  that  remained  to  be  done,  was  to  make  the  best 
possible  arrangements  for  its  visitation.  Among  the  measures  of  the 


PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK. 

day,  recommended  by  the  College  of  Physicians  on  the  27th  of  Au- 
gust, and  carried  into  immediate  effect,  was  the  providing  a  large  and 
airy  hospital  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city,  for  the  reception  of  such 
poor  persons  as  could  not  be  accommodated  with  suitable  advanta- 
ges in  private  houses.  The  erection  of  the  Bush  Hill  Hospital  was 
the  result  of  this  recommendation  ;  and  Dr.  PHYSICK  having  offered 
his  services,  was  chosen  physician  of  the  same.  He  left  his  lodgings 
in  town,  entered  immediately  upon  his  new  duties,  and  continued  in 
the  exercise  of  them  till  the  disease  had  passed  away. 

In  the  year  1794  he  was  appointed  a  prescribing  physician  in  the 
Philadelphia  Dispensary,  and  a  surgeon  to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital ; 
the  public  confidence  was  also  exhibited  by  his  practice  increasing  with 
no  ordinary  rapidity. 

A  recurrence  of  the  yellow  fever  as  an  epidemic,  in  1798,  led  again 
to  a  performance  of  similar  duties  in  the  Bush  Hill  Hospital.  The 
zeal  and  fidelity  with  which  he  went  through  these,  were  recognised 
in  the  presentation  of  some  elegant  pieces  of  silver  plate.  Their  cost 
was  upwards  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  they  bore  the  following  in- 
scription : — 

"  From  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Marine  and  City  Hospitals,  to 

PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK,  M.  D. 

As  a  mark  of  their  respectful  approbation  of  his  voluntary  and  ines- 
timable services,  as  Resident  Physician  at  the  City  Hospital 
in  the  calamity  of  1798." 

On  Sept.  18th,  1800,  he  married  Miss  Emlen,  the  daughter  of  a 
gentleman  of  learning,  distinction,  and  wealth,  and  who  belonged 
to  the  very  respectable  Society  of  Friends.  She  died  in  1820,  leaving 
four  chidren  now  alive — two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

In  1805,  the  chair  of  Surgery  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
having  been  made  a  distinct  one,  he  was  elected  to  it ;  the  success  of 
his  operations  and  lectures  in  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  is  considered 
to  have  created  and  established  this  change. 

In  July,  1819,  he  resigned  his  chair  of  Surgery  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  appointed  to  that  of  Anatomy,  vacated,  the  pre- 
ceding November,  by  the  death  of  his  nephew,  Dr.  Dorsey. 

The  latest  of  his  appointments  was  in  1836,  when  he  was  elected  an 
honorary  fellow  of  the  Royal  Medical  and  Chirurgical  Society  of  Lon- 
don, and  soon  after -received  his  diploma;  he  is  said  to  have  been 
very  much  pleased  with  this  mark  of  respect  from  a  city  where  his 
early  studies  had  been  conducted. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

The  earliest  commendatory  notice  of  him  is  found  in  the  Treatise 
on  the  Blood  by  his  preceptor,  John  Hunter.  The  latter  wishing  to 
arrive  at  some  general  conclusions  on  certain  phenomena  of  the  blood, 
as  to  its  coagulability  and  putrescence  under  several  conditions  named, 
performed  experiments  on  the  subject,  which  were  rather  incomplete 
and  unsatisfactory  to  himself ;  to  verify,  however,  what  he  had  done, 
he  says,  "  Many  of  these  experiments  were  repeated  by  my  desire  by 
Dr.  PHYSICK,  now  of  Philadelphia,  when  he  acted  as  house-surgeon 
to  St.  George's  hospital,  whose  accuracy  I  could  depend  upon." 

In  1793  he,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Cathrall,  made  several  dissec- 
tions of  persons  dead  of  yellow  fever,  which  proved  its  inflammatory 
character,  and,  that  its  principal  violence  fell  on  the  stomach.  These 
observations  were  not  absolutely  new,  because  they  had  been  preceded 
by  similar  ones  by  Dr.  Mitchill,  in  his  account  of  the  yellow  fever  of 
Virginia  in  1737  and  1741,  and  by  corresponding  ones  in  the  West 
Indies.  They  had,  however,  an  important  local  influence  in  correct- 
ing the  prevailing  notions  of  the  disease,  by  proving,  that  so  far  from 
being  one  of  debility,  it  presented  the  highest  possible  grade  of  inflam- 
mation.— one  exactly  similar  to  what  is  produced  by  acrid  poisons,  as 
arsenic,  introduced  into  the  stomach.  The  principle  was  thus  esta- 
blished, that  the  reputed  putrid  phenomena  were  merely  the  expression 
of  the  gastric  inflammation,  and  that  the  proper  treatment  was  precise- 
ly the  reverse  of  what  had  obtained. 

To  this  advance  in  the  therapeutic  indications  of  a  disease  so  fatal 
and  so  terrifying,  was  added  one  of  a  most  important  prophylactic  or 
preventive  kind.  At  a  time  when  it  was  perilous  to  the  practice,  as 
well  as  to  the  reputation  for  sanity  of  any  physician,  to  assert  that  the 
yellow  fever  was  generated  among  us  and  not  imported,  he  had  the 
manliness  and  dignity  to  declare  openly  this  obnoxious  truth.  He 
also  admonished  the  people,  that  the  true  protection  from  such  visita- 
tions, was  not  in  establishing  an  empty  system  of  quarantine  laws,  and 
thereby  interrupting  foreign  commerce,  but  in  cleanliness  at  their  own 
doors  and  along  their  own  wharves.  These  were  the  views  taken  and 
enforced  at  the  same  time,  by  the  eloquence  and  fervor  of  a  Rush. 
To  this  idea,  constantly  urged  upon  public  attention,  are  to  be  traced 
the  very  complete  and  effective  arrangements  for  supplying  the  city 
of  Philadelphia  with  water,  by  applying,  if  required,  the  whole  cur- 
rent of  the  Schuylkill  to  the  purpose. 

To  the  walks  of  Surgery,  however,  we  must  look  for  the  genius  of 
PHYSICK  in  its  most  decided  and  extensive  application.  It  is  there 
that  we  find  it  exhibiting  a  series  of  triumphs  over  cases  of  dis- 


PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK. 

ease  which  had  baffled  the  skill  of  men  only  inferior  to  himself  and 
it  is  there  that  it  was  most  active  in  inventions  to  improve  and  to 
palliate  established  modes  of  treatment.  His  management  of  diseased 
joints  by  perfect  rest,  elevation,  and  diet,  is  a  happy  substitute  for  the 
errors  generated  under  the  use  of  the  term  scrofula  or  white  swelling, 
and  ending  either  by  amputation  or  in  death — sometimes  in  both. 
His  treatment  of  the  inflammation  of  the  hip-joint  in  children  (coxalgia), 
by  a  splint,  low  diet,  and  frequent  purging,  exhibits  another  of  those 
successful  innovations  upon  ordinary  practice.  His  invention  of  an  ap- 
propriate treatment  and  cure  for  that  loathsome  disease,  artificial  anus, 
which  invention  has  been  so  unceremoniously  modified  and  claimed 
by  a  distinguished  French  surgeon,  the  late  Baron  Dupuytren,  is  a 
proof  of  the  activity  and  resources  of  his  professional  mind.  Another 
invention,  still  more  frequent  in  its  employment,  from  the  greater  num- 
ber of  such  cases,  is  the  application  of  the  seton  to  the  cure  of  fractures 
of  bones  refusing  to  unite.  Other  inventions  are  found  in  the  treat- 
ment of  mortification  by  blisters  ;  of  anthrax  by  caustic  alkali ;  the 
ligature  of  kid  skin  for  arteries  in  excisions  of  the  female  breast.  To 
him,  also,  we  owe  the  original  act,  if  not  invention,  of  pumping  out  the 
stomach  in  cases  of  poisoning  ;  also  an  improvement  in  the  treatment 
of  fractures  of  the  condyles  of  the  os  humeri,  so  as  to  render  the  resto- 
ration perfect.  We  might  in  this  way  go  on  to  enumerate  many  other 
points  of  excellence  about  him  ;  but,  however  appropriate  it  might  be 
to  offer  a  complete  exposition  of  them,  the  space  allotted  to  a  memoir 
of  this  kind  must  prohibit  a  more  extensive  and  complete  annun- 
ciation. Those  who  have  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  his  prac- 
tice extensively,  will  at  least  conclude  with  us  in  saying,  Nihil  te~ 
tigit,  quod  non  ornavit. 

With  this  great  fertility  in  invention  and  ardor  in  the  prosecution  of 
his  profession,  his  original  papers,  as  published,  are  few,  and  they  are 
also  very  short. 

Lecturing  for  many  years  on  Surgery,  his  chief  organ  of  publicity 
was  his  class  of  students.  The  Elements  of  Surgery,  published  by  his 
nephew,  Dr.  Dorsey,  contain  the  most  perfect  account  of  his  opinions 
and  practice  up  to  that  period. 

To  the  preceding  claims  to  professional  veneration,  were  united 
physical  qualifications  of  the  most  perfect  kind.  He  had  a  correct, 
sharp,  and  discriminating  eye ;  a  hand  delicate  in  its  touch  and  move- 
ment, and  which  never  trembled  or  faltered ;  an  entire  composure  and 
self-possession,  the  energy  of  which  increased  upon  an  unexpected 
emergency.  He  had  a  forethought  of  all  possible  contingencies  and 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

demands  during  a  great  operation,  and  therefore  had  every  thing  pre- 
pared for  it ;  when  performed,  he  entered  upon  a  most  conscientious 
discharge  of  his  duty  to  the  patient,  and  watched  him  with  a  vigilance 
and  anxiety  which  never  remitted  till  his  fate  was  ascertained. 

If  to  the  foregoing  brilliant  qualities  as  an  operator,  and  the  loud  plau- 
dits which  attended  their  exercise,  we  add  a  chastening  of  feeling  which 
subdued  every  sentiment  of  vanity  and  regulated  entirely  his  judg- 
ment ;  and  that  he  had  an  invincible  repugnance,  a  horror  at  engaging 
in  dangerous  operations  through  ostentation,  and  where  the  probabili- 
ties of  cure  were  not  largely  in  favor  of  the  patient ;  we  have  in  this 
summary  the  most  perfect  example  of  a  surgeon  which  this  country 
has  ever  seen.  But  as  these  great  points  and  striking  professional 
landmarks  seldom  come  in  clusters,  it  will  probably  be  long  in  the 
course  of  Providence  before  there  will  be  a  re-union  of  all  the  same 
excellent  qualities. 

His  operation  for  the  stone  on  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  in  1831,  was 
the  last  of  his  great  efforts.  He  anticipated  it  with  much  anxiety,  but 
when  brought  to  the  point,  he  rallied  finely — every  thing  was,  as  usual, 
in  readiness.  The  unexpected  turn  given  to  the  operation  by  the  al- 
most incredible  number,  probably  a  thousand,  of  small  calculi  which 
he  met  with,  and  their  adhesion  to  the  internal  coat  of  the  bladder, 
did  not  disconcert  him  in  the  slightest  degree.  He  in  a  little  time  de- 
tected the  existing  state  of  things,  and  they  were  brought  to  a  success- 
ful conclusion,  being  followed  by  a  complete  cure.  This  operation 
was  the  more  interesting  from  the  distinction  of  its  two  principal  per- 
sonages ;  the  one,  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  legal  profession,  and 
the  other  of  the  medical ;  and  both  sustaining  themselves,  though  in 
advanced  life,  by  that  tone  of  moral  firmness  and  dignity  which  had 
advanced  them  from  inconsiderable  beginnings  to  the  stations  which 
they  then  occupied. 

Dr.  PHYSICK  was  of  middling  stature,  and  not  inclined  to  corpu- 
lence even  at  his  best  periods  of  health.  His  bust  was  a  remarkably 
fine  one  ;  he  had  a  well-formed  head  and  face,  the  expression  of  the  lat- 
ter being  thoughtful  and  pensive,  sometimes  enlivened  in  conversation 
by  a  smile,  but  very  seldom  so  spontaneously.  His  nose  was  aquiline 
and  thin  ;  and  his  eye  hazel,  well-formed,  vivid,  and  searching — his 
gaze  seemed  sometimes  to  penetrate  into  the  very  interior  of  the  body. 
His  eye  acquired  additional  effect  from  his  pallid,  fixed,  and  statue-like 
face.  His  hands  were  small,  delicate,  and  flexible.  He  dressed  with 
great  neatness :  his  clothes  being  put  on  with  an  exact  attention  to  the 
process,  and  being  from  year  to  year  of  a  uniform  cut.  Many,  no 


PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK. 

doubt,  remember  the  very  admirable  and  characteristic  appearance 
imparted  to  his  physiognomy  and  head  by  the  use  of  hair  powder,  and 
how  this  almost  solitary  remnant  among  the  gentlemen  of  Philadelphia, 
of  an  ancient  fashion,  seemed  to  be  in  entire  harmony  with  his  own 
individuality  of  mind  and  of  reputation. 

Dr.  PHYSICK'S  traits  as  a  teacher  corresponded  with  other  points 
in  his  character.  His  course  of  Surgery,  upon  which  his  reputation 
was  founded  in  an  especial  manner,  was  eminently  practical  and  in- 
structive. He  did  not  pretend  to  range  over  the  whole  field  of  this 
science,  but  limited  himself  to  topics  of  daily  occurrence,  or  at  least 
such  as  might  be  expected  in  the  practice  of  any  medical  man.  Re- 
lying upon  his  own  experience  and  habits  of  observation,  he  had  but 
little  to  do  with  the  opinions  of  others  ;  he  quoted  them  rarely,  and 
never  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  the  point  unsettled  by  an  array  of  op- 
posite authorities.  His  opinions  were  for  the  most  part  founded  upon 
deep  reflection,  and  were  decided  in  one  way  or  another  ;  he  never 
leaned  to  one  side  and  inclined  to  another,  so  as  to  neutralise  his 
weight ;  he  either  admitted  entire  want  of  information,  or  considered 
himself  in  possession  of  the  requisite  degree  of  it.  This  tone  of  senti- 
ment pervading  his  lectures,  they  were  most  eminently  didactic,  and 
were  listened  to  with  a  thorough  conviction  of  their  correctness  ;  indeed, 
such  was  his  authority,  that  it  was  held  almost  indisputable — to  oppose 
it,  was  to  brand  one's  self  with  folly. 

He  decidedly  preferred  studying  every  thing  for  himself  in  the  la- 
boratory of  Nature,  beginning  his  analysis  of  the  human  machine  in  a 
dissecting-room,  and  solving  the  problem  of  its  disorders  and  their  cure 
in  a  hospital.  The  proposition  in  every  disease  he  considered  as 
limiting  itself  to  the  positive  experience  of  what  had  done  good  and 
what  had  done  harm.  His  consultations  always  assumed  this  character. 

As  his  opinions  were,  for  the  most  part,  formed  with  deliberation,  so 
they  were  retained  with  firmness  ;  and  they,  like  his  habits,  v/ere  du- 
rable to  an  extreme.  This  we  may  account  for,  inasmuch  as  they 
were  never  taken  up  on  capricious  grounds,  but  always  upon  the  most 
scrupulous  examination  of  proof.  He  required,  too,  personal  proof, 
such  as  would  satisfy  his  understanding,  through  his  eyes,  his  ears, 
and  his  touch.  Naturally  exact,  systematic,  and  persevering,  these 
traits  were  fully  developed  by  his  education  and  training. 

Not  being  given  to  expressions  of  sentimentalities,  his  cold  and  steady 
manner  was  mistaken  by  some  for  apathy  :  he  felt,  however,  acute- 
ly, when  not  the  slightest  external  indication  of  it  appeared.  He  was 
always  anxious  andf  excited  when  preparing  for  a  great  operation,  and 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

when  it  was  finished,  spent  sometimes  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  bed, 
in  order  to  recover  and  tranquilize  himself.  The  death  of  patients  not 
unfrequently  laid  him  up,  from  the  excess  of  his  sensibilities. 

Having  undergone  a  protracted  illness,  which  reduced  him  to  a 
most  suffering  and  debilitated  state,  he  died  on  the  13th  of  December, 
1837,  being  in  his  seventieth  year.  He  was  interred  in  Christ  Church 
burying-ground,  corner  of  Fifth  and  Arch  streets,  Philadelphia,  with 
the  strongest  expressions  of  public  respect. 


l  by  G.  F.  Storm  fo>m  a  Drawing  by  I R  Lang!i<-w  aftrr  *P  PorlrBh  >iy  .T.  S.  Copley 

Sit, 


SAMUEL   ADAMS. 


SAMUEL  ADAMS  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  September, 
1722:  His  ancestors  were  amongst  the  early  settlers  of  New  England. 
The  family  has  already  been  traced  through  its  various  branches,  in  the 
biographical  sketch  of  President  John  Adams  in  this  volume,  and  requires 
no  further  notice  in  this  place.  SAMUEL  ADAMS  was  remarkable  for 
steady  application  to  his  studies  at  the  celebrated  Latin  school  of  Master 
Lovell.  He  entered  Harvard  university  at  an  early  age.  and  graduated  in 
1740,  when  he  discussed  the  folio  wing  question,  "  Whether  it  be  lawful 
to  resist  the  supreme  magistrate,  if  the  commonwealth  cannot  otherwise 
be  preserved."  He  maintained  the  affirmative  in  the  presence  of  the  king's 
governor  and  council ;  and  thus  evinced,  at  that  early  period,  his  attach- 
ment to  the  liberties  of  the  people.  About  the  same  time  he  published 
a  pamphlet,  called  "  Englishmen's  Rights,"  the  expense  of  which  he 
paid  out  of  the  small  stipend  allowed  him  by  his  father  while  he 
was  a  student. 

It  has  been  stated  that  he  intended  to  have  devoted  himself  to  the 
gospel  ministry,  but  that  his  father  designed  him  for  the  bar ;  the  inten- 
tions of  both  were  overruled  by  his  mother,  and  the  course  of  life  adopt- 
ed was  that  of  commerce,  to  which  he  was  neither  inclined  nor  fitted ; 
and  although  he  was  placed  under  the  charge  of  an  eminent  merchant, 
Mr.  Thomas  Gushing,  he  acquired  little  knowledge  of  business,  nor 
was  he  able  to  support  himself  when  he  commenced  business  on  his 
own  account.  The  capital  given  to  him  by  his  father,  by  imprudent 
credits  and  other  losses  was  soon  consumed.  His  father  died  soon 
after,  and  as  he  was  the  eldest  son,  the  care  of  the  family  and  the 
management  of  the  estate  devolved  upon  him. 

It  may  be  seen  that  MR.  ADAMS  took  an  interest  in  political  sub- 
jects at  an  early  period  of  life,  both  from  the  choice  of  his  subject  when 
he  took  his  degree  at  Cambridge,  and  of  his  first  pamphlet.  Similar 
subjects  occupied  his  attention  afterwards.  While  yet  a  clerk  to  Mr. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Gushing,  he  formed  a  club,  each  member  of  which  agreed  to  furnish  a 
political  essay  for  a  newspaper  called  the  Independent  Advertiser. 
These  essays  brought  the  writers  into  notice,  and  they  were  dubbed, 
in  derision,  the  "  Whipping-post  Club."  During  the  administration  ot 
Governor  Shirley,  he  was  known  as  a  political  writer  in  opposition 
to  the  dangerous  union  of  too  much  civil  and  military  power  in  the 
hands  of  one  man.  His  ingenuity,  wit,  and  clear  and  cogent  argu- 
ments, gained  public  confidence,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  that  influ- 
ence over  his  fellow-citizens,  which  made  him  afterwards  a  mark  for 
the  especial  dislike  of  the  royalists. 

In  1763  the  agent  of  Massachusetts  in  London  transmitted  intelli- 
gence that  it  was  contemplated,  by  the  ministry,  to  tax  the  colonies. 
This  soon  produced  a  great  excitement.  It  was  expected  that  Gover- 
nor Bernard  would  immediately  call  the  Massachusetts  house  of  as- 
sembly together,  and  that  such  instructions  would  be  sent  to  the  agent 
as  might  have  a  tendency  to  prevent  the  contemplated  proceedings  ; 
but  to  the  surprise  of  the  public,  the  governor  took  no  notice  of  the  sub- 
ject. 

In  May,  1764.  a  new  election  was  held  of  members  of  the  assembly, 
and  according  to  custom,  written  instructions  were  prepared  by  the 
people  for  their  representatives.  MR.  ADAMS  was  one  of  the  five  who 
were  selected  by  the  people  of  Boston  on  this  occasion.  The  instruc- 
tions were  written  by  him,  and  were  approved  by  the  town.  The  do- 
cument was  published  at  the  time  in  the  Boston  Gazette,  and  is  said 
to  be  the  first  public  document  that  denied  the  "  supremacy  of  the  Bri- 
tish parliament,  and  their  right  to  tax  the  colonies  without  their  own 
consent." 

It  is  well  known  that  at  this  time  a  private  club  was  formed  in  Bos- 
ton for  the  purpose  of  deciding  on  the  most  proper  measures  to  be  ta- 
ken at  this  important  crisis.  It  was  composed  of  the  leading  patriots 
of  the  day.  It  was  the  secret  spring  which  set  in  motion  the  public 
body.  MR.  ADAMS  was  one  of  that  patriotic  conclave,  and  went 
with  all  his  heart  into  the  measures  determined  on,  to  resist  every  in- 
fringement of  the  rights  of  the  colonies.  The  Stamp  Act  was  a  fla- 
grant violation  of  them  ;  and  to  suffer  it  to  be  quitely  carried  into  ef- 
fect, would  establish  a  precedent  and  encourage  further  proceedings. 
MR.  ADAMS  was  not  averse  to  the  manner  in  which  the  people  evinc- 
ed their  determined  opposition  by  destroying  the  stamp  papers  and 
office  in  Boston  ;  but  he  highly  disapproved  the  riots  and  disorders 
which  followed,  and  personally  aided  the  civil  power  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  them. 

-    '<  2 


SAMUEL  ADAMS. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  general  assembly  of  Massachusetts 
in  1765,  in  the  place  of  Oxenbridge  Thatcher,  deceased.  He  was 
soon  after  chosen  clerk  to  the  House,  and  acquired  influence  in  the  Le- 
gislature, in  which  he  continued  nearly  ten  years.  He  was  frequently 
upon  important  committees,  and  was  the  soul  that  animated  their  most 
decisive  resolutions.  In  1767  he  suggested  a  plan  to  counteract  the 
operation  of  the  act  imposing  duties.  It  was  agreed  to  by  the  mer- 
chants, and  nearly  all  of  them  in  the  province  bound  themselves,  if 
the  duties  were  not  repealed,  not  to  import  any  but  certain  enumerated 
articles  after  the  1st  of  January,  1769. 

He  was  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the  people  of  Bos  • 
ton  to  wait  upon  Lieutenant-governor  Hutchinson,  and  urge  the 
withdrawal  of  the  British  troops  from  the  town,  after  the  fatal  affray  of 
the  5th  of  March,  1770.  MR.  ADAMS,  in  a  speech  of  some  length, 
pressed  the  subject  with  great  ability,  and  enumerated  the  fatal  conse- 
quences which  would  ensue  if  the  vote  of  the  town  was  not  immedi- 
ately complied  with.  Hutchinson  prevaricated,  and  denied  that  the 
troops  were  subject  to  his  authority  ;  but  promised  to  direct  the  remo- 
val of  the  29th  regiment.  MR.  ADAMS  again  rose.  Filled  with  the 
magnitude  of  the  subject,  and  irritated  by  the  manner  in  which  it  had 
been  treated  by  the  Lieutenant-governor,  he  replied  with  indignation 
and  boldness,  {;  That  it  was  well  known  that,  acting  as  governor  of  the 
province,  he  was  by  its  charter  commander- in-chief  of  his  Majesty's 
military  and  naval  forces,  and,  as  such,  the  troops  were  subject  to  his 
orders  ;  and  if  he  had  the  power  to  remove  one  regiment,  he  had  the 
power  to  remove  both ;  and  nothing  short  of  that  would  satisfy  the 
people  ;  and  it  was  at  his  peril  if  the  vote  of  the  town  was  not  imme- 
diately complied  with  ;  and  if  it  be  longer  delayed,  he  alone  must  be  an- 
swerable for  the  fatal  consequences  that  would  ensue."  This  produced 
a  momentary  silence.  It  was  now  dark,  and  the  people  were  waiting 
for  the  report  of  their  committee.  After  a  short  conference  with  Colo- 
nel Dalrymple,  Hutchinson  gave  his  consent  to  the  removal  of  both 
regiments,  which  was  accordingly  effected  the  following  day. 

As  early  as  1766  MR.  ADAMS  had  been  impressed  with  the  impor- 
tance of  establishing  committees  of  correspondence  throughout  the  co- 
lonies ;  but  the  plan  was  not  carried  into  operation  until  1772,  when  it 
was  first  adopted  by  Massachusetts  on  his  motion,  at  a  public  town 
meeting  in  Boston,  and  was  soon  after  followed  by  all  the  provinces. 

Every  method  had  been  tried  to  induce  MR.  ADAMS  to  abandon  the 
cause  of  his  country,  which  he  had  supported  with  so  much  zeal, 
courage,  and  ability.  Threats  and  caresses  had  proved  equally  un- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

availing:.  Prior  to  this  time  there  is  no  certain  proof  that  any  direct 
attempt  was  made  upon  his  virtue  and  integrity,  although  a  report  had 
been  publicly  and  freely  circulated  that  it  had  been  unsuccessfully 
tried  by  Governor  Bernard.  Hutchinson  knew  him  too  well  to  make 
the  attempt.  But  Governor  Gage  was  empowered  to  try  the  experi- 
ment. He  sent  to  him  a  confidential  and  verbal  message  by  Colonel 
Fenton,  who  waited  upon  MR.  ADAMS,  and  after  the  customary  salu- 
tations, he  stated  the  object  of  his  visit.  He  said,  that  an  adjustment 
of  the  disputes  which  existed  between  England  and  the  colonies,  and 
a  reconciliation,  was  very  desirable  as  well  as  important  to  the  interest 
of  both.  That  he  was  authorized  from  Governor  Gage  to  assure  him, 
that  he  had  been  empowered  to  confer  upon  him  such  benefits  as 
would  be  satisfactory,  upon  the  condition  that  he  would  engage  to 
cease  in  his  opposition  to  the  measures  of  government.  He  also  ob- 
served, that  it  was  the  advice  of  Governor  Gage  to  him,  not  to  incur 
the  further  displeasure  of  his  Majesty  ;  that  his  conduct  had  been  such 
as  made  him  liable  to  the  penalties  of  an  act  of  Henry  VIII.  by  which 
persons  could  be  sent  to  England  for  trial  of  treason  or  misprision  ot 
treason,  at  the  discretion  of  a  governor  of  a  province  ;  but  by  changing 
his  political  course,  he  would  not  only  receive  great  personal  advanta- 
ges, but  would  thereby  make  his  peace  with  the  king.  MR.  ADAMS 
listened  with  apparent  interest  to  this  recital.  He  asked  Colonel  Fen- 
ton  if  he  would  truly  deliver  his  reply  as  it  should  be  given.  After 
some  hesitation,  he  assented.  MR.  ADAMS  required  his  word  of  honor, 
which  he  pledged. 

Then  rising  from  his  chair,  and  assuming  a  determined  manner,  he 
replied,  "I  trust  I  have  long  since  made  MY  PEACE  WITH  THE  KING 
OF  KINGS.  No  personal  consideration  shall  induce  me  to  abandon  the 
righteous  cause  of  my  country.  Tell  Governor  Gage,  IT  is  THE  AD- 
VICE OF  SAMUEL  ADAMS  TO  HIM  no  longer  to  insult  the  feelings  of 
an  exasperated  people." 

With  a  full  sense  of  his  own  perilous  situation,  marked  as  an  object 
of  ministerial  vengeance,  laboring  under  pecuniary  embarrassment,  but 
fearless  of  personal  consequences,  he  steadily  pursued  the  great  object 
of  his  soul, — the  liberty  of  the  people. 

The  time  required  bold  and  inflexible  measures.  Common  distress 
required  common  counsel.  The  aspect  was  appalling  to  some  of  the 
most  decided  patriots  of  the  day.  The  severity  of  punishment,  which 
was  inflicted  on  the  people  of  Boston  by  the  power  of  England,  pro- 
duced a  melancholy  sadness  on  the  friends  of  American  freedom. 
The  Massachusetts  house  of  assembly  was  then  in  session  at  Salem 


SAMUEL  ADAMS. 

A  committee  of  that  body  was  chosen  to  consider  and  report  the  state 
of  the  province.  MR.  ADAMS,  it  is  said,  observed  that  some  of  the 
committee  were  for  mild  measures,  which  he  judged  no  way  suited  to 
the  present  emergency.  He  conferred  with  Mr.  Warren  of  Plymouth 
upon  the  necessity  of  sprited  measures,  and  then  said,  "  Do  you  keep 
the  committee  in  play,  and  I  will  go  and  make  a  caucus  by  the  time 
the  evening  arrives,  and  do  you  meet  me."  MR.  ADAMS  secured  a 
meeting  of  about  five  principal  members  of  the  house  at  the  time  spe- 
cified, and  repeated  his  endeavors  for  the  second  and  third  nights, 
when  the  number  amounted  to  more  than  thirty.  The  friends  of  the 
administration  knew  nothing  of  the  matter.  The  popular  leaders  took 
the  sense  of  the  members  in  a  private  way,  and  found  that  they  would 
be  able  to  carry  their  scheme  by  a  sufficient  majority.  They  had  their 
whole  plan  completed,  prepared  their  resolutions,  and  then  determined 
to  bring  the  business  forward  ;  but  before  they  commenced,  the  door- 
keeper was  ordered  to  let  no  person  in,  nor  suffer  any  one  to  depart. 
The  subjects  for  discussion  were  then  introduced  by  MR.  ADAMS  with 
his  usual  eloquence  on  such  great  occasions.  He  was  chairman  of  the 
committee,  and  reported  the  resolutions  for  the  appointment  of  dele- 
gates to  a  general  congress  to  be  convened  at  Philadelphia,  to  consult 
on  the  general  safety  of  America.  This  report  was  received  with  sur- 
prise and  astonishment  by  the  administration  party.  Such  was  the 
apprehension  of  some,  that  they  were  apparently  desirous  to  desert  the 
question.  The  door-keeper  seemed  uneasy  at  his  charge,  and  waver- 
ing with  regard  to  the  performance  of  the  duty  assigned  to  him.  At 
this  critical  juncture,  MR.  ADAMS  relieved  him  by  taking  the  key 
and  keeping  it  himself.  The  resolutions  were  passed  ;  five  delegates, 
consisting  of  SAMUEL  ADAMS,  Thomas  Cashing,  Robert  Treat  Paine, 
John  Adams,  and  James  Bowdoin,  were  appointed,  the  expense  was 
estimated,  and  funds  were  voted  for  the  payment.  Before  the  business 
was  finally  closed,  a  member  made  a  plea  of  indisposition,  and  was  al- 
lowed to  leave  the  house.  This  person  went  directly  to  the  Governor, 
and  informed  him  of  their  high-handed  proceedings.  The  Governor 
immediately  sent  his  secretary  to  dissolve  the  assembly,  who  found  the 
door  locked.  He  demanded  entrance  ;  but  was  answered,  that  his  de- 
sire could  not  be  complied  with  until  some  important  business,  then 
before  the  house,  was  concluded.  Finding  every  method  to  gain  ad- 
mission ineffectual,  he  read  the  order  on  the  stairs  for  an  immediate 
dissolution  of  the  assembly.  The  order,  however,  was  disregarded  by 
the  house.  They  continued  their  deliberations,  passed  all  their  in- 
tended measures,  and  then  obeyed  the  mandate  for  dissolution. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

After  many  unavailing  efforts,  both  by  threats  and  promises,  to  al- 
lure this  inflexible  patriot  from  his  devotion  to  the  sacred  cause  of  in- 
dependence, Governor  Gage  at  length,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1775,  is- 
sued that  memorable  proclamation,  of  which  the  following  is  an  ex- 
tract : — "  In  this  exigency  of  complicated  calamities,  I  avail  myself  of 
the  last  efforts  within  the  bounds  of  my  duty  to  spare  the  further  effu- 
sion of  blood,  to  offer,  and  I  do  hereby  in  his  Majesty's  name  offer  and 
promise,  his  most  gracious  pardon  to  all  persons  who  shall  forthwith 
lay  down  their  arms,  and  return  to  the  duties  of  peaceable  subjects, 
excepting  only  from  the  benefit  of  such  pardon,  SAMUEL  ADAMS  and 
John  Hancock,  whose  offences  are  of  too  flagitious  a  nature  to  admit  of 
any  other  consideration  than  that  of  condign  punishment."  This  was 
a  diploma,  conferring  greater  honors  on  the  individuals  than  any 
other  which  was  within  the  power  of  his  Britannic  majesty  to  bestow. 

In  a  letter,  dated  April,  1776,  at  Philadelphia,  while  he  was  in  con- 
gress, to  Major  Hawley  of  Massachusetts,  he  said,  "  I  am  perfectly  satis- 
fied of  the  necessity  of  a  public  and  explicit  declaration  of  indepen- 
dence. 1  cannot  conceive  what  good  reason  can  be  assigned  against 
it.  Will  it  widen  the  breach  ?  This  would  be  a  strange  question 
after  we  have  raised  armies  and  fought  battles  with  the  British  troops  ; 
set  up  an  American  navy,  permitted  the  inhabitants  of  these  colonies 
to  fit  out  armed  vessels  to  capture  the  ships,  &c.  belonging  to  any  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain  ;  declaring  them  the  enemies  of  the 
United  Colonies,  and  torn  into  shivers  their  acts  of  trade,  by  allowing 
commerce,  subject  to  regulations  to  be  made  by  ourselves,  with  the 
people  of  all  countries,  except  such  as  are  subject  to  the  British  king. 
It  cannot,  surely,  after  all  this,  be  imagined  that  we  consider  ourselves, 
or  mean  to  be  considered  by  others,  in  any  other  state  than  that  of  in- 
dependence." 

In  another  letter  to  James  Warren,  Esq.  dated  Baltimore,  December 
31,  1776,  he  said,  "  I  assure  you  business  has  been  done  since  we  came 
to  this  place,  more  to  my  satisfaction  than  any  or  every  thing  done  be- 
fore, excepting  the  '  Declaration  of  Independence,'  which  should  have 
been  made  immediately  after  the  19th  of  April,  1775." 

Notwithstanding  we  had  raised  armies,  built  navies,  fought  battles, 
and  had  seen  the  public  grievances  still  unredressed,  yet  the  minds  of 
many  of  the  leading  Whigs  were  not  prepared  for  the  great  question  of 
a  final  separation  of  the  two  countries  till  July  4,  1776. 

The  character  of  MR.  ADAMS  had  become  celebrated  in  foreign 
countries.  In  1773  he  had  been  chosen  a  member  of  the  society  of 


SAMUEL  ADAMS. 

the  bill  of  rights  in  London ;  and  in  1774  John  Adams  and  Doctor 
Joseph  Warren  were  elected  on  his  nomination. 

Our  patriots,  in  their  progress  to  independence,  had  successfully  en- 
countered many  formidable  obstacles ;  but  in  the  year  1777  still  great- 
er difficulties  arose,  at  the  prospect  of  which  some  of  the  stoutest 
hearts  began  to  falter.  It  was  at  this  critical  juncture,  after  Congress 
hud  resolved  to  adjourn  from  Philadelphia  to  Lancaster,  that  some  of 
the  leading  members  accidentally  met  in  company  with  each  other.  A 
conversation  in  mutual  confidence  ensued.  MR.  ADAMS,  who  was  one 
of  the  number,  was  cheerful  and  undismayed  at  the  aspect  of  affairs  ; 
while  the  countenances  of  his  friends  were,  strongly  marked  with  the 
desponding  feelings  of  their  hearts.  The  con  versation  naturally  turned 
upon  the  subject  which  most  engaged  their  feelings.  Each  took  occa- 
sion to  express  his  opinions  on  the  situation  of  the  public  cause,  and 
all  were  gloomy  and  sad.  MR.  ADAMS  listened  in  silence  till  they  had 
finished.  He  then  said,  "  Gentlemen,  your  spirits  appear  to  be  heavily 
oppressed  with  our  public  calamities.  I  hope  you  do  not  despair  of 
our  final  success  ?"  It  was  answered,  "  That  the  chance  was  desperate." 
MR.  ADAMS  replied,  "  If  this  be  our  language,  it  is  so,  indeed.  If  we 
wear  long  faces,  they  will  become  fashionable.  The  people  take  their 
tone  from  ours  ;  and  if  we  despair,  can  it  be  expected  that  they  will  con- 
tinue their  efforts  in  what  we  conceive  to  be  a  hopeless  cause  ?  Let 
us  banish  such  feelings,  and  show  a  spirit  that  will  keep  alive  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  rather  than  damp  their  courage.  Better  tidings 
will  soon  arrive.  Our  cause  is  just  and  righteous,  and  we  shall  never 
be  abandoned  by  Heaven  while  we  show  ourselves  worthy  of  its  aid 
and  protection." 

At  this  time  there  were  but  twenty-eight  of  the  members  of  Con- 
gress present  at  Philadelphia.  MR.  ADAMS  said,  "  That  this  was  the 
smallest,  but  the  truest  Congress  they  ever  had." 

But  a  few  days  had  elapsed  when  the  news  arrived  of  the  glorious 
success  at  Saratoga,  which  gave  a  new  complexion  to  our  affairs  and 
confidence  to  our  hopes. 

Soon  after  this,  Lord  Howe,  the  Earl  of  Carlisle,  and  Mr.  Eden,  ar- 
rived as  commissioners  to  treat  for  peace  under  Lord  North's  concilia- 
tory proposition.  MR.  ADAMS  was  one  of  the  committee  chosen  by 
Congress  to  draught  an  answer  to  their  letter.  In  this  it  is  stated, 
"  That  Congress  will  readily  attend  to  such  terms  of  peace  as  may  con- 
sist with  the  honor  of  an  independent  nation." 

At  this  time  the  enemies  of  our  freedom  were  busily  employed  to 
create  disunion  among  its  friends.  Reports  were  circulated  of  attempts 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

to  deprive  General  Washington  of  his  command,  in  which,  it  was  said, 
MR.  ADAMS  was  a  principal  leader.  This  was  not  true.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  some  warm  expressions  may  have  fallen  from  him  when  he 
spoke  of  the  multiplied  disasters  which  attended  our  military  opera 
tions,  and  of  the  effects  they  produced  on  the  public  mind  ;  and  for  po- 
litical purposes,  our  opponents  gave  to  them,  probably,  a  different  and 
distorted  sense. 

In  a  le«tter  to  his  friend,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  Esq.  dated  in  1789,  in 
speaking  of  executive  appointments  as  provided  for  in  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  he  thus  notices  the  subject :  "  I  need  not  tell  you, 
who  have  known  so  thoroughly  the  sentiments  of  my  heart,  that  I  have 
always  had  a  very  high  esteem  for  the  late  commander-in-chief  of  our 
armies  ;  and  I  now  most  sincerely  believe,  that  while  President  Wash- 
ington continues  in  the  chair,  he  will  be  able  to  give,  to  all  good  men, 
a  satisfactory  reason  for  every  instance  of  his  public  conduct.  I  feel 
myself  constrained,  contrary  to  my  usual  manner,  to  make  professions 
of  sincerity  on  this  occasion  ;  because  Doctor  Gordon,  in  his  History  of 
the  Revolution,  has  gravely  said  that  I  was  concerned  in  an  attempt 
to  remove  General  Washington  from  command  ;  and  mentions  an  ano- 
nymous letter  to  your  late  Governor  Henry,  which  I  affirm  I  never 
saw,  nor  heard  of,  till  I  lately  met  with  it  in  reading  the  history." 

In  1779  SAMUEL  ADAMS  was  placed  by  the  state  convention  on  a 
committee  to  prepare  and  report  a  form  of  government  for  Massachu- 
setts. By  this  committee  he  and  John  Adams  were  appointed  a  sub- 
committee to  furnish  a  draught  of  the  constitution.  The  draught  pro- 
duced by  them  was  reported  to  the  convention,  and,  after  some  amend- 
ments, accepted.  The  address  of  the  convention  to  the  people  was 
jointly  written  by  them. 

In  1781  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  Massachusetts, 
and  was  shortly  afterwards  elevated  to  the  presidency  of  that  body. 

In  1787  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  convention 
for  the  ratification  of  the  constitution  of  the  United  States.  He  had 
some  objections  to  it  in  its  reported  form  ;  the  principal  of  which  was 
to  that  article  which  rendered  the  several  States  amenable  to  the  Courts 
of  the  nation.  He  thought  that  this  would  reduce  them  to  mere  cor- 
porations. There  was  a  very  powerful  opposition  to  it.  and  some  of 
its  most  zealous  friends  and  supporters  were  fearful  that  it  would  not 
be  accepted. 

MR.  ADAMS  had  not  then  given  his  sentiments  upon  it  in  the  con- 
vention ;  but  regularly  attended  the  debates. 

Some  of  the  leading  advocates  waited  upon  MR.  ADAMS  and  Mr. 


SAMUEL  ADAMS. 

Hancock,  to  ascertain  their  opinions  and  wishes,  in  a  private  manner. 
MR.  ADAMS  stated  his  objections,  and  said  that  he  should  not  give  it 
his  support  unless  certain  amendments  were  recommended  to  be  adopt- 
ed. These  he  enumerated.  Mr.  Hancock  was  president  of  the  con- 
vention, and  at  that  time  confined  to  his  house  by  indisposition.  His 
opinion  coincided  with  that  of  MR.  ADAMS  ;  and  he  observed,  that  he 
would  attend  and  give  it  his  support  upon  the  same  condition  express- 
ed by  MR.  ADAMS.  This  was  mutually  agreed  to.  MR.  ADAMS  pre- 
pared his  amendments,  which  were  brought  before  the  convention,  and 
referred  to  a  committee,  who  made  some  inconsiderable  alterations, 
with  which  the  constitution  was  accepted.  Some  of  these  were  after- 
wards agreed  to  as  amendments,  and  form,  at  present,  a  part  of  that 
instrument. 

In  1789  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-governor  of  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  continued  to  fill  that  office  till  1794,  when  he  was  chosen 
governor  of  that  state.  He  was  annually  re-elected  till  1797,  when, 
oppressed  with  years  and  bodily  affirmities,  he  declined  being  again  a 
candidate,  and  retired  to  private  life. 

After  many  years  of  incessant  exertions,  employed  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  independence  of  America,  he  died  on  the  3d  October,  1803, 
in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  in  indigent  circumstances. 

The  person  of  SAMUEL  ADAMS  was  of  middle  size.  His  countenance 
was  a  true  index  of  his  mind,  and  possessed  those  lofty  and  elevated 
characteristics  which  are  always  found  to  accompany  true  greatness. 

He  was  a  steady  professor  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  uniformly 
attended  public  worship.  His  family  devotions  were  regularly  per- 
formed, and  his  morality  was  never  impeached. 

In  his  manners  and  deportment  he  was  sincere  and  unaffected ;  in 
conversation,  pleasing  and  instructive  ;  and  in  his  friendships,  stead- 
fast and  affectionate. 

His  revolutionary  labors  were  not  surpassed  by  those  of  any  indi- 
vidual. From  the  commencement  of  the  dispute  with  Great  Britain 
he  was  incessantly  employed  in  public  service  ;  opposing,  at  one  time, 
the  doctrine  of  the  supremacy  of"  parliament  in  all  cases,"  taking  the 
lead  in  questions  of  controverted  policy  with  the  royal  governors,  writ- 
ing state  papers  from  1765  to  1774 ; — in  planning  and  organizing 
clubs  and  committees,  haranguing  in  town  meetings,  or  filling  the 
columns  of  public  prints  with  essays  adapted  to  the  spirit  and  temper 
of  the  times.  In  addition  to  these  occupations,  he  maintained  an  exten 
sive  and  laborious  correspondence  with  the  friends  of  American  free 
dom  in  Great  Britain  and  in  the  provinces. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

No  man  was  more  intrepid  and  dauntless  when  encompassed  by 
dangers,  or  more  calm  and  unmoved  amid  public  disasters  and  adverse 
fortune.  His  bold  and  daring  conduct  and  language  subjected  him  to 
great  personal  hazards.  Had  any  fatal  event  occurred  to  our  country, 
by  which  she  had  fallen  in  her  struggle  for  liberty.  SAMUEL  ADAMS 
would  have  been  the  first  victim  of  ministerial  vengeance.  His  blood 
would  have  been  first  shed  as  a  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  tyranny,  for 
the  noble  magnanimity  and  independence  with  which  he  defended 
the  cause  of  freedom.  But  such  was  his  firmness,  that  he  probably 
would  have  met  death  with  as  much  composure  as  he  regarded  it 
with  unconcern. 

His  writings  were  numerous,  and  much  distinguished  for  their  ele- 
gance and  fervor  ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  greater  part  of  them  have 
been  lost,  or  so  distributed  as  to  render  their  collection  impossible. 

He  was  the  author  of  a  letter  to  the  Earl  of  Hillsborough  ; — of  many 
political  essays  directed  against  the  administration  of  Governor  Shirley; 
— of  a  letter  in  answer  to  Thomas  Paine  in  defence  of  Christianity, 
and  of  an  oration  published  in  the  year  1776. 

Four  letters  of  his  correspondence  on  government  are  extant,  and 
were  published  in  a  pamphlet  form  in  1800. 

MR.  ADAMS'S  eloquence  was  of  a  peculiar  character.  His  language 
was  pure,  concise,  and  impressive.  He  was  more  logical  than  figura- 
tive. His  arguments  were  addressed  rather  to  the  understanding  than 
to  the  feelings  ;  yet  he  always  engaged  the  deepest  attention  of  his  au- 
dience. On  ordinary  occasions  there  was  nothing  remarkable  in  his 
speeches  ;  but  on  great  questions,  when  his  own  feelings  were  interest- 
ed, he  would  combine  every  thing  great  in  oratory.  In  the  language 
of  an  elegant  writer,  the  great  qualities  of  his  mind  were  fully  display- 
ed in  proportion  as  the  field  for  their  exertion  was  extended  ;  and  the 
energy  of  his  language  was  not  inferior  to  the  depth  of  his  mind.  It 
was  an  eloquence  admirably  adapted  to  the  age  in  which  he  flourished, 
and  exactly  calculated  to  attain  the  object  of  his  pursuit.  It  may  well 
be  described  in  the  language  of  the  poet,  "  thoughts  which  breathe, 
and  words  which  burn."  An  eloquence,  not  consisting  of  theatrical 
gesture  or  the  pomp  of  words  ;  but  that  which  was  a  true  picture  of 
a  heart  glowing  with  the  sublime  enthusiasm  and  ardor  of  patriotism  ; 
an  eloquence,  to  which  his  fellow-citizens  listened  with  applause  and 
rapture  ;  and  little  inferior  to  the  best  models  of  antiquity,  for  simplicity, 
majesty,  and  persuasion. 


MA.KiK    f.KXEHA 


WINFIELD   SCOTT. 


WINFIELD  SCOTT  was  born,  on  the  13th  of  June,  1785,  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Dinwiddie,  near  Petersburgh,  Virginia.  Being  intended  for  the 
law,  he  received  a  liberal  education,  and  was  graduated  at  Williams 
and  Mary  College.  In  1806,  having  completed  his  studies,  he  com- 
menced practice  at  the  bar  ;  and  his  talents  and  acquirements  bid  fair 
to  introduce  him  in  a  short  time  to  a  lucrative  business.  In  1807,  the 
outrage  upon  the  frigate  Chesapeake  roused  the  indignant  feelings  of 
the  nation  ;  redress  was  loudly  called  for,  and  the  more  ardent  of  our 
countrymen  anticipated  an  immediate  war.  The  measures  of  Congress 
at  their  next  session  rendering  a  rupture  probable,  young  SCOTT  for- 
sook the  law,  and  accepted  a  commission  as  the  captain  in  a  regiment  of 
light  artillery,  which  was  raised  upon  the  enlargement  of  the  army. 
In  this  capacity  he  remained  prosecuting  his  military  studies,  until  the 
declaration  of  war  opened  a  more  arduous  field  for  the  exercise  of  his 
talents. 

During  the  early  part  of  his  military  career,  Capt.  SCOTT  con- 
ceiving himself  injured  by  his  commanding  officer,  Gen.  Wilkin- 
son, expressed  himself  very  freely  regarding  that  gentleman.  For  this 
offence  having  been  brought  before  a  court-martial,  and  not  being  al- 
lowed to  adduce  in  his  defence  the  provocation  received,  he  was  found 
guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be  suspended  for  twelve  months  from  his  com- 
mand. 

In  the  spring  of  1812  he  acted  as  Judge  Advocate  on  the  trial  of 
Col.  Gushing.  His  speech  on  this  occasion  affords  honorable  testirno- 
my  both  of  his  legal  attainments  and  rhetorical  ability. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1812,  SCOTT  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieut. 
Col.  in  the  2nd  regiment  of  artillery  ;  and  early  in  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year  he  was  posted  with  his  regiment  at  Black  Rock,  to  protect 
the  navy  yard  at  that  place. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

On  the  9th  of  October  Lieut.  Elliot  of  the  navy,  at  the  head  of  a 
small  party  of  seamen  and  a  few  troops,  whom  Col.  SCOTT  had  des- 
patched to  his  assistance,  succeeded  in  cutting  out  two  small  brigs,  the 
Detroit  and  Caledonia,  from  under  the  guns  of  fort  Erie.  In  dropping 
down  the  river,  the  Detroit  became  unmanageable,  and  taking  a  wrong 
channel,  grounded  under  the  guns  of  the  enemy's  battery.  Here  she 
was  abandoned  by  her  crew,  and  immediately  afterwards  taken  pos- 
session of  by  the  British.  By  the  well-directed  fire  of  a  few  light  guns 
stationed  opposite,  Col.  SCOTT  again  obtained  possession  of  the  brig, 
and  held  it  until  the  vessel  was  burnt.  This  was  the  first  time  he  was 
actually  engaged  with  an  enemy. 

On  the  13th  of  October  the  attack  upon  Queenslon  under  Col.  So- 
lomon Yan  Rensselaer  took  place.  On  the  day  previous,  Lieut.  Col. 
SCOTT  had  arrived  with  his  regiment  at  Schlosser,  twelve  miles  from 
Lewiston.  Obtaining  here  some  information  of  the  anticipated  move- 
ment, he  rode  immediately  to  Lewiston,  and  earnestly  entreated  Gen. 
Yan  Rensselaer  that  he  might  accompany  the  expedition.  The 
General,  however,  informed  him  that  his  arrangements  had  already 
been  perfected,  and  that,  consequently,  his  request  could  not  be  acceded 
to.  Anxious  at  all  events  to  be  near  the  scene  of  action,  SCOTT  obtained 
permission  to  march  his  regiment  to  Lewiston,  and  to  use  his  artillery 
as  circumstances  might  direct.  In  the  early  part  of  the  action  which  fol- 
lowed, he  bore  no  part ;  but  it  soon  being  announced  that  both  Col. 
Fenwick  and  Col.  Yan  Rensselaer  had  fallen  severely  wounded,  Col. 
SCOTT'S  renewed  request  to  be  sent  across  the  river  was  finally  acced- 
ed to.  The  Americans  were  already  in  possession  of  the  heights ; 
having  driven  the  enemy  before  them,  and  repulsed  an  attack  under 
Gen.  Brock,  who  had  come  up  with  reinforcements,  Gen.  Brock  being 
himself  killed  in  the  engagement. 

On  his  arrival  Col.  SCOTT  found  the  troops  in  considerable  disorder. 
Announcing  his  name  and  rank,  he  immediately  formed  them  into 
line.  On  counting,  they  amounted  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  regulars-, 
rank  and  file,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-seven  volunteers,  under  Gen. 
Wadsworth  and  Col.  Stranahan.  Col.  SCOTT'S  attention  was  now  di- 
rected to  an  eighteen-pounder,  which  the  enemy  in  his  retreat  had  left  in 
the  hands  of  the  Americans  after  having  hastily  spiked  it,  and  he  pro- 
ceeded in  person  to  direct  the  measures  for  rendering  the  piece  again 
Tiseful.  Returning  in  a  short  time,  he  was  surprised  to  find  a  large 
body  of  Indians  in  the  act  of  attacking  the  American  lines,  while  the 
troops,  already  in  some  confusion,  were  on  the  point  of  giving  way. 
His  presence  quickly  changed  the  state  of  affairs.  The  troops  reco- 


WINFIELD  SCOTT. 

vered  their  firmness,  and  the  Indians  were  compelled  to  make  a  speedy 
retreat. 

For  several  hours  the  Americans  maintained  their  position  unmo- 
lested by  the  regular  troops  of  the  enemy,  who  were  waiting  to  be  re- 
inforced from  Fort  George.  During  this  time  the  Indians  repeatedly  at- 
tacked the  American  line  ;  two  of  them  in  particular  appeared  to  single 
out  Gen.  SCOTT,  who  was  conspicuous  by  his  commanding  stature  and 
the  brilliancy  of  his  uniform,  as  the  special  object  of  their  attack.  To 
such  a  marked  degree  was  this  the  case,  that  Major  Towson  sent  a 
message  to  SCOTT  upon  the  subject,  accompanied  by  his  own  overcoat, 
and  a  request  for  him  to  put  it  on.  But  SCOTT  declined  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  this  considerate  kindness  ;  and  the  Indians  were  finally 
driven  from  a  wood,  to  which  they  had  retreated,  t$r  a  charge  which  he 
gallantly  led  in  person. 

While  these  transactions  were  taking  place  upon  the  Canadian  shore, 
every  effort  was  made  by  the  commanding  officers  to  induce  the  Ame- 
rican militia  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  to  cross  over  to  the  as- 
sistance of  their  countrymen,  but  in  vain  :  entreaty  was  wasted  upon 
them ;  and  as  all  the  boats  were  upon  the  American  side,  the  little  band 
under  SCOTT  was  left  to  await  a  fate  from  which  there  was  no  retreat. 
The  enemy  having  been  reinforced  by  the  garrison  from  Fort  George, 
under  Gen.  Sheaffe,  now  numbered  in  regulars,  Indians,  and  militia, 
over  one  thousand  men.  At  the  head  of  this  superior  force  Gen. 
Sheaffe  advanced  steadily,  but  slowly  and  cautiously,  upon  an 
enemy  whose  valor  had  already  been  felt.  At  length  they  closed. 
For  a  short  time  the  Americans  maintained  their  position  ;  but,  press- 
ed upon  by  a  greatly  superior  force,  and  nearly  surrounded,  they  at 
length  gave  way,  and  retreated  to  the  bank  of  the  river.  All  had  now 
been  done  that  was  required  by  honor,  and  longer  resistance  would 
only  have  sacrificed  in  vain  the  lives  of  brave  men.  Terms  of  capitu- 
lation were  accordingly  agreed  upon,  and  Col.  SCOTT  surrendered  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy  his  whole  force,  now  reduced  to  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-nine  regulars  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  militia  ; 
in  all  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  men.  To  SCOTT'S  mortification, 
the  number  of  prisoners  was  afterwards  swelled  by  several  hundreds 
of  militia,  who,  having  crossed  over  to  the  Canadian  shore,  had  con- 
cealed themselves  among  the  rocks,  and  had  never  taken  the  slightest 
share  in  the  action.  After  the  surrender,  two  of  the  Indian  chiefs 
came  up  to  SCOTT,  and  could  not  be  persuaded  that  he  had  escaped, 
unwounded,  the  numerous  balls  they  had  levelled  at  him. 

From  Q,ueenston  SCOTT  was  sent  to  Quebec  ;  and  thence,  having 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

been  parolled,  he  embarked  for  Boston.     Soon  afterwards,  in  January, 
1813,  he  was  exchanged. 

In  the  spring,  Col.  SCOTT  joined  the  army  at  Fort  Niagara,  under 
the  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Dearborn,  in  the  capacity  of  Adjutant-ge- 
neral. This  office  was  then  new  in  our  service,  but  SCOTT  succeeded 
in  regulating  its  details,  and  discharging  its  duties  in  a  manner  alike 
satisfactory  to  the  commanding  officer  and  beneficial  to  the  service. 

By  the  latter  part  of  May,  Gen.  Dearborn  had  assembled  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Niagara  a  force  of  near  five  thousand  men  ;  and  arrange- 
ments were  consequently  entered  upon,  by  him  and  Commodore  Chaun- 
cey,  for  the  attack  on  Fort  George.  On  the  26th  of  May,  at  one  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  the  army  embarked  in  boats,  under  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  Major-general  Lewis.  It  was  formed  in  six  divisions  ;  of  these 
SCOTT  was  selected  to  lead  the  first,  numbering  about  five  hundred  men. 
At  nine  in  the  morning  Col.  S.  effected  a  landing  under  a  heavy  fire  of 
musketry  arid  cannon,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  Newark,  and 
the  same  distance  west  of  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara.  Forming  his  men 
under  the  shelter  of  a  bank  which  partially  protected  them  from  the 
fire  of  the  enemy,  he  immediately  led  them  to  the  assault.  The  enemy, 
about  fifteen  hundred  strong,  were  formed  immediately  upon  the  brow 
of  a  hill.  A  vigorous  charge  up  hill  soon  drove  them  from  their  ad- 
vantageous position  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Retreating,  they  ral- 
lied, and  took  up  a  new  position  behind  a  ravine  at  a  little  distance. 
Here  the  action  was  renewed,  and  for  about  twenty  minutes  was  se- 
vere and  well-contested.  The  division  under  Gen.  Boyd  had  now 
landed,  and  rapidly  advanced  to  the  support  of  Col.  SCOTT  ;  the  enemy 
was  again  compelled  to  retreat,  closely  followed  by  the  1st  division  un- 
til it  was  recalled  from  the  pursuit.  On  approaching  Fort  George,  it 
was  perceived  that  the  enemy  was  about  abandoning  the  works.  Two 
companies  were  detached  from  the  head  of  the  pursuing  column  to 
prevent  this  movement,  and  a  few  prisoners  were  made.  While  the 
American  troops  were  about  eighty  paces  distant,  one  of  the  magazines 
blew  up  with  a  tremendous  explosion.  The  gates  were  immediately 
forced,  and  Col.  SCOTT  being  the  first  to  enter,  removed,  with  his  own 
hands,  the  British  flag,  which  was  still  flying  on  the  works ;  while 
Captains  Hindman  and  Stockton  extinguished  the  matches  by  which 
it  was  intended  to  fire  the  other  magazines.  In  his  despatches,  Gen. 
Dearborn,  after  praising  the  universal  good  conduct  of  those  engaged, 
mentions  Col.  SCOTT  among  those  who  had  pre-eminently  distinguish- 
ed themselves  by  their  bravery  and  conduct. 

During  the  summer  of  1813,  though  engaged  in  several  skirmishes 


WINFIELD  SCOTT. 

in  which  he  displayed  his  usual  gallantry,  Col.  SCOTT  had  no  oppor- 
tunity of  particularly  distinguishing  himself.  The  army  under  its 
successive  commanders,  Gen.  Dearborn,  Lewis,  Boyd,  and  Wilkinson, 
remained  quietly  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  George ;  and  the  subor- 
dinate officers  necessarily  partook  of  its  inactivity. 

In  the  commencement  of  October,  the  army  under  Gen.  Wilkinson 
was  embarked,  and  proceeded  down  the  lake  on  the  fruitless  expedi- 
tion against  Montreal.  Col.  SCOTT  was  left  in  command  of  the  garri- 
son of  Fort  George,  consisting  of  between  seven  and  eight  thousand 
men,  regulars  and  militia.  For  a  few  days  the  movements  of  the  Bri- 
tish General  rendered  it  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  or  not  he  was 
about  to  attack  the  garrison;  during  this  time  SCOTT  was  assiduously 
employed  in  strengthening  his  defences.  On  the  9th  of  October  De 
Rottenburg  suddenly  broke  up  his  encampment,  and  retreated  to  Bur- 
lington Heights,  fifty-three  miles  distant ;  according  to  the  instructions 
of  the  commanding  officer,  Col.  SCOTT  was  now  relieved  of  the  com- 
mand of  the  fort,  and  he  immediately  marched  his  regiment  to  Sackett's 
Harbor,  there  to  join  the  expedition  under  Gen.  Wilkinson.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  expedition,  after  exciting  much  expectation,  finally  re- 
sulted in  utter  failure.  The  troops  endured  great  fatigue,  and  en- 
countered considerable  danger  in  the  difficult  and  perilous  navigation 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  without  obtaining  an  opportunity  of  distinguish- 
ing themselves  or  benefitting  their  country. 

Col.  SCOTT  spent  part  of  the  winter  of  1813-14  in  Albany.  On  the 
9th  of  March  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-general,  and  he 
joined  Gen.  Brown  on  his  route  to  Niagara,  in  the  commencement  of 
the  next  month.  Soon  after  Gen.  Brown  was  called  to  Sackett's  Harbor, 
and  the  command,  in  consequence,  devolved  upon  Gen.  SCOTT,  who  im- 
mediately assembled  the  army  and  established  a  camp  of  instruction. 
His  whole  attention  was  now  given  to  perfecting  the  discipline  of  the 
troops,  to  give  them  that  celerity  and  combination  of  movement,  which 
in  modern  times  has  made  war  a  science,  and  rendered  individual 
prowess  of  so  little  avail.  For  two  months  and  a  half  the  troops  were 
drilled  daily  from  seven  to  nine  hours  each  day,  until  finally  they  ex- 
hibited a  perfection  of  discipline,  never  before  attained  in  our  army. 
They  were  now  prepared  to  meet  on  terms  of  equality  the  veteran 
troops  of  the  enemy,  and  they  soon  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  the 
advantages  they  had  derived  from  their  instruction.  In  June,  Major 
Gen.  Brown  reached  Buffalo  with  reinforcements,  and  in  the  com- 
mencement of  the  next  month  the  campaign  was  opened.  The  Nia- 
gara was  passed  on  the  3d  of  July,  and  Fort  Erie  was  taken  on  the 


NATIONAL 

same  day  by  a  portion  of  SCOTT'S  brigade  under  Major  Jessop.  Oft 
the  morning  of  the  4th  the  army  moved  towards  Cbippewa,  Gen. 
SCOTT'S  brigade  being  in  advance ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  mne 
day  took  up  a  position  on  the  bank  of  Street's  Cieek;  about  twomfles 
d  isf«n  t  from  the  British  encampment.  The  stream  was  in  Irani  of  the 
American  position,  having  beyond  it  an  extensive  plain ;  its  right  rest- 
ed upon  the  Niagara,  and  its  left  upon  a  wood.  On  the  following 
day  the  British  militia  and  the  Indians  having  occupied  the  wood, 
commenced  annoying  the  American  piquets  from  it  until  Brig.  Gen. 
Porter  at  the  head  of  his  brigade  of  militia  and  friendly  Indians,  drove 
the  enemy  from  the  wood  back  upon  the  Cbippewa,  Here  the  British 
irregulars  being  supported  by  their  whole  army  drawn  oat  in  line  and 
advancing  to  the  attack,  Gen.  Porter  in  his  turn  was  compelled  to 
give  way. 

The  heaviness  of  the  firing  informed  Gen.  Brown  of  the  advance  of 
the  main  body  of  the  enemy.  It  was  now  about  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Gen.  SCOTT  was  at  this  moment  advancing  with  his 
brigade  to  drill  upon  the  plain  on  which  the  battle  was  afterwards 
fought.  On  the  march  he  met  Gen.  Brown,  who  said  to  him,  "  The 
enemy  is  advancing — you  will  have  a  fight."  Beyond  this  brief  re- 
murk  Gen.  SCOTT  received  no  orders  from  the  commanding  General, 
who  passed  on  to  put  the  reserve  in  motion.  When  Gen.  SCOTT 
reached  the  stream  fronting  the  American  camp,  the  enemy  was  drawn 
up  iu  order  of  battle.  Crossing  the  bridge  under  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery, 
Gen.  SCOTT  formed  his  line.  The  battalions  of  Majors  Leavenworth 
and  M'Neil  were  opposed  respectively  to  the  left  and  centre  of  the  ene- 
mies, while  the  battalion  of  Major  Jessup  formed  upon  the  left,  and 
was  ordered  to  advance  upon  the  British  right  wing  which  rested  upon 
a  wood;  and  the  artillery  was  posted  on  the  right  resting  upon  the 
river.  The  British  line  outflanking  ours  upon  the  right  from  the  su- 
perior number  of  the  enemy,  Gen.  SCOTT  was  compelled  to  increase 
the  interval  between  the  battalions  of  Leavenworth  and  M'Neil.  These 
movements  were  executed  steadily  and  with  precision.  The  action 
becoming  general,  Major  Jessup  having  engaged,  and  broken  off  the 
right  wing  of  the  enemy  while  their  main  body  continued  to  advance, 
gave  their  army  a  new  flank.  Taking  advantage  of  this  circumstance, 
and  assisted  by  the  enlarged  interval  between  the  battalions  of  Leaven- 
worth and  M'Neil,  Gen.  SCOTT  threw  the  battalion  of  the  latter  for- 
ward upon  its  right  flank  so  as  to  stand  obliquely  to  the  charge  of  the 
enemy,  outflanking  them  upon  the  right.  This  movement,  executed 
with  precision,  together  with  the  steadiness  of  our  troops  and  the  heavy 


WINFIELD  SCOTT. 

fire  from  the  artillery,  decided  the  fate  of  the  day.  The  British  army 
retreated  a  short  distance  in  good  order,  then  broke,  and  fled  in  confu- 
sion to  their  intrenchrnents  beyond  the  Chippewa. 

This  action  was  fought  by  SCOTT  alone  against  superior  numbers. 
Gen.  Porter's  irregular  troops  had  given  way  in  the  commencement 
of  the  engagement,  and  were  not  again  brought  into  the  field  ;  while 
the  reserve  did  not  come  up  in  time  to  take  any  part  in  the  battle.  It 
at  once  gave  the  troops  confidence  in  themselves  and  their  leaders  ; 
they  had  beaten  the  enemy  in  a  fair  field,  and  with  inferior  numbers  ; 
and  their  success  could  only  be  attributed  to  superior  skill  and  disci- 
pline. 

On  the  third  day  after  the  action  the  American  army  crossed  the 
Chippewa,  the  enemy  retreating  upon  its  advance.  After  remaining  a 
fortnight  at  Q,ueenston,  Gen.  Brown  recrossed  the  Chippewa  and  en- 
camped at  its  mouth.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  July  25th, 
SCOTT  was  ordered  again  to  advance  upon  Q,ueenston.  At  the  time 
the  order  was  received  the  troops  were  drawn  up  for  drill,  and  in  con- 
sequence the  march  was  entered  upon  immediately.  The  forces  under 
SCOTT  consisted  of  four  small  battalions,  commanded  by  Col.  Brady  and 
Majors  Jessup,  Leaven  worth,  and  M'Neil ;  a  troop  of  light  dragoons,  and 
some  mounted  volunteers  ;  the  whole  amounting  to  one  thousand  and 
fifty  men.  When  about  three  miles  from  the  camp,  and  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  falls  of  Niagara,  SCOTT  received  information  that  the 
enemy  was  directly  in  his  front,  concealed  from  view  by  a  narrow 
strip  of  woodland  which  intervened.  This  proved  to  be  the  advanced 
corps  of  the  British  army,  which,  under  Lieutenant  Gen.  Drummorid, 
was  advancing  to  attack  the  Americans  at  Chippewa.  The  enemy  was 
posted  on  a  ridge  running  as  right  angles  to  the  Niagara,  his  left  resting 
on  the  road,  between  which  and  the  river  there  was  an  interval  of 
about  two  hundred  paces  covered  with  wood ;  and  his  position  was  still 
further  strengthened  by  a  formidable  battery  of  artillery.  He  had  al- 
ready fifteen  hundred  men  in  line,  and  his  force  was  constantly  in- 
creasing by  the  junction  of  fresh  troops  on  their  march  from  Fort 
George. 

Notwithstanding  the  disparity  of  numbers,  after  despatching  a  mes- 
senger to  Gen.  Brown,  SCOTT  resolved  on  an  immediate  attack.  Ma- 
jor Jessup,  supported  by  Col.  Brady,  was  ordered  to  penetrate  the  wood 
and  turn  the  enemy's  left  wing,  while  the  two  remaining  battalions  and 
Towson's  artillery  commenced  the  action  in  front.  Perceiving  that 
his  right  wing  extended  far  beyond  that  of  our  little  army,  the  enemy 
endeavored  to  take  advantage  of  this  circumstance,  and  threw  forward 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

two  battalions  to  take  our  army  on  the  left.  These  were  promptly 
beaten  back.  Major  Jessup  in  the  mean  time  succeeded  in  turning 
the  left  wing  of  the  British  army,  and  gaining  the  rear,  took  Maj.  Gen. 
Riall  and  several  other  officers  prisoners  ;  then  charging  through  their 
line,  and  cutting  off  a  portion  of  their  wing,  he  discovered  himself  to 
our  troops  by  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  enemy.  The  action,  which  had 
commenced  a  little  before  sunset,  had  now  continued  above  an  hour 
and  a  half.  The  enemy,  though  his  line  had  been  forced  in  several 
places,  was  constantly  receiving  fresh  reinforcements,  and  SCOTT'S 
men  suffered  dreadfully,  from  the  fire  of  their  artillery.  At  this  time 
the  reserve  under  Maj.  Gen.  Brown  came  up,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
action  was  fought  under  his  orders.  The  remains  of  SCOTT'S  batta- 
lions were  consolidated  into  one  ;  and  at  the  head  of  this  SCOTT  twice 
charged  the  enemy,  exposing  his  person  in  the  most  dauntless  man- 
ner, until,  having  had  two  horses  killed  under  him,  he  himself  being 
already  wounded,  and  after  his  aids,  Lieut.  North  and  Brigade  Major 
Smith,  had  both  been  wounded  by  his  side,  he  received  a  musket  ball 
in  the  shoulder,  which  compelled  him  to  retire  from  the  field. 

In  proportion  to  the  numbers  engaged,  this  was  the  most  sanguinary 
battle  fought  during  the  war.  For  more  than  two  hours  the  hostile 
lines  were  within  twenty  paces  of  each  other,  and  charges  with  the 
bayonet  were  frequent  and  resolute.  Of  the  nine  hundred  and  twen- 
ty men,  who  constituted  the  small  brigade  of  SCOTT,  four  hundred  and 
ninety  were  killed  or  wounded.  Nor  was  the  determined  courage 
shown  in  the  battle  the  only  circumstance  which  rendered  it  remark- 
able. It  commenced  a  little  before  sunset,  and  continued  till  eleven  at 
night  by  the  light  of  the  moon  ;  while  the  roar  of  Niagara,  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  field,  could  be  heard  amid  the  din  and  tumult  of 
the  battle. 

On  the  very  day  on  which  was  fought  the  battle  of  Bridgewater 
SCOTT  was  appointed  a  Major-general  by  brevet.  His  wounds,  which 
were  severe,  confined  him  for  a  long  time  ;  nor  had  he  again  an  oppor- 
nity  of  distinguishing  himself  before  the  conclusion  of  peace  put  an  end 
to  all  active  service  in  the  field.  In  the  mean  time  his  sufferings  were 
alleviated  by  the  testimonials  of  the  approbation  and  gratitude  of  his 
countrymen.  Congress  ordered  him  a  vote  of  thanks  and  a  medal ; 
the  legislature  of  his  native  state  presented  him  with  a  similar  vote,  to- 
gether with  a  sword ;  the  citizens  of  Petersburgh  likewise  presented 
him  with  a  sword,  and  his  name  was  given  to  a  new  county  in  Vir- 
ginia. 


WINFIELD  SCOTT. 

When,  in  1815,  the  army  was  reduced  to  the  peace  establishment,  the 
Secretary  of  War  required  the  services  of  Gen.  SCOTT,  in  conjunction 
with  those  of  Gen.  Brown,  Ripley,  and  Macomb,  to  assist  in  the  deli- 
cate task  of  re-organizing  the  army,  and  selecting  the  officers  who  were 
still  to  remain  attached  to  the  service. 

In  1817  Gen.  SCOTT  was  drawn  into  a  correspondence  with  Gen. 
Jackson,  which  occasioned  much  discussion  at  the  time,  and  which 
subsequently  found  its  way  into  the  public  papers.  In  the  spring  of 
1817  Gen.  Jackson  had  issued  an  order  directing  that  no  commands 
issued  by  the  war  department  should  be  obeyed  unless  they  came 
through  him.  This  order  became  the  subject  of  public  animadver- 
sion, and  very  different  views  were  taken  of  it  by  different  parties. 
The  conversation  turning  upon  it  in  a  society  in  which  SCOTT  was 
present,  he  expressed  an  opinion  unfavorable  to  the  propriety  of  the 
order.  His  remarks,  colored  and  distorted,  having  been  conveyed  to 
Gen.  Jackson  by  an  anonymous  correspondent,  that  gentleman  address- 
ed a  letter  to  Gen.  SCOTT  upon  the  subject.  In  reply,  Gen.  SCOTT 
candidly  stated  his  remarks,  and  detailed  the  evils  that  would  result 
were  the  conduct  of  Gen.  Jackson  generally  imitated.  The  reply, 
though  respectful  and  manly,  was  not  satisfactory ;  and  in  a  second  let- 
ter, after  having  employed  language  both  harsh  and  vio'ent,  Gen.  Jack- 
son offered  a  meeting  to  SCOTT  if  he  felt  himself  aggrieved  by  his 
language.  SCOTT'S  remarks  upon  this  were  both  moderate  and  manly. 
He  says  "  He  thought  of  New  Orleans,  and  some  other  affairs,  in  which 
both  parties  had  been  engaged  ;  and  it  appeared  to  him  that  a  brace  of 
pistols  could  add  nothing  to  the  character  of  either.  He  conceived 
that  at  the  age  he  had  then  attained,  some  little  reputation  for  modera- 
tion and  temper  began  to  "be  an  object  worthy  of  consideration.  In 
fact,  it  did  not  once  seriously  occur  to  him  that  the  courage  of  either 
could  be  put  in  question,  and  therefore  he  found  himself  perfectly  at 
liberty  to  consult  his  sense  of  justice  and  propriety,  rather  than  his  pas- 
sions." A  moderate  reply  was  returned,  and  the  correspondence  drop- 
ped. 

In  February,  1.828,  the  death  of  Maj.  Gen.  Brown,  who  had  for  a  long 
time  been  the  undisputed  head  of  the  army,  left  it  without  an  imme- 
diate commander-in-chief.  In  the  following  May,  Maj.  Gen.  Macomb 
was  appointed  to  the  vacant  office  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the 
advice  of  the  Senate.  Gen.  SCOTT,  who  by  brevet  rank  was  the  senior 
officer,  refused  to  obey  the  orders  of  the  new  commander-in-chief.  The 
subject  was  frequently  brought  before  the  National  Legislature.  Atone 
time  Gen.  SCOTT  was  suspended  from  his  command,  and  after 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

memorializing  Congress  on  the  subject,  he  finally  considered  himself 
bound  in  honor  to  tender  his  commission  to  the  President.  Congress, 
however,  supported  the  views  of  the  Executive,  and  Gen.  SCOTT,  though 
still  maintaining  the  justice  of  his  position,  at  the  instance  of  his  friends 
withdrew  his  resignation,  and  continued  to  be  attached  to  a  service  of 
which  he  had  long  been  an  ornament.  Without  wishing  to  revive  a 
discussion  which  will  soon  be  forgotten,  it  is  but  right  to  give  so  much 
of  SCOTT'S  views  upon  the  subject  as  will  serve  to  justify  his  course. 
In  his  memorial  to  Congress  he  says,  «  The  rank  of  commander-in- 
chief,  or  the  Major-general,  is  at  this  time  unknown  to  the  laws  ;  that  of 
Major-general  is,  in  fact,  the  highest  grade  in  the  army.  In  all  servi- 
ces, military  command  is  determined,  first,  by  difference  of  grade ; 
second,  by  priority  in  the  same  grade.  Brevet  rank  has  uniformly 
been  held  to  give  command  with  ordinary  rank,  except  for  obvious 
reasons  in  the  body  of  an  unmixed  regiment.  Gen.  Macomb 
was  Major-general  by  brevet  from  the  1st  of  September,  1814;  Gen. 
SCOTT  from  the  25th  of  July  of  the  same  year.  Of  course,  brevet  rank 
being  the  same  as  ordinary  rank,  Gen.  SCOTT  could  not  be  command- 
ed by  his  junior  officer  of  the  same  grade."  The  President,  however, 
decided  differently ;  and  the  National  Legislature  concurring  with 
him,  Gen.  SCOTT,  as  we  have  before  stated,  yielded  to  his  decision. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  disturbances,  in  May,  1832,  on  the 
north-western  frontier,  caused  by  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  of  Indians 
under  Black  Hawk,  Gen.  SCOTT  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  the  scene 
of  action,  and  take  command  of  the  forces  destined  to  subdue  the  sava- 
ges. He  embarked  at  Buffalo  for  Chicago  early  in  July,  four  small 
steamboats  having  been  engaged  to  transport  the  troops  and  supplies. 
Every  one  remembers,  that  in  the  summer  of  1832,  that  dreadful 
scourge,  the  cholera,  whose  progress  had  been  traced  at  first  with  cu- 
riosity, at  length  with  awe  and  terror,  from  Asia  throughout  Europe, 
first  made  its  appearance  upon  our  shores.  "  On  the  eighth  of  July," 
writes  Gen.  SCOTT,  "  all  on  board  were  in  high  health  and  spirits,  the 
next  morning  six  undoubted  cases  of  cholera  had  presented  them- 
selves." The  first  cases  of  the  disease  were  fearfully  fatal.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  hours,  men  previously  in  the  enjoyment  of  full  health 
were  lifeless  corpses.  The  men  being  crowded  together  in  a  confined 
space,  the  disease  spread  rapidly  ;  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  had  been  attacked.  On  arriving  at  Chicago  every 
member  of  the  General's  staff  was  ill.  Gen.  SCOTT  continued  in  good 
health,  though  "he  exposed  himself,"  writes  Capt.  Monroe,  who  form- 
ed one  of  the  expedition,  "  by  attending  every  officer  and  soldier  taken 


WINFIELD  SCOTT. 

sick."  Of  the  eight  hundred  and  fifty  men  who  left  Buffalo,  the  num- 
ber was  so  reduced  by  death  and  desertion,  caused  by  fear  of  the  pes- 
tilence, that  in  a  short  time  no  more  than  two  hundred  were  left. 
The  occurrence  of  the  epidemic  detained  Gen.  SCOTT  some  time  at  Chi- 
cago. Independently  of  the  condition  of  the  troops,  to  have  joined  the 
volunteers  of  Gen.  Atkinson's  army  with  them,  while  the  cholera  was 
still  raging,  would  have  caused  at  once  the  almost  total  dispersion  of 
that  necessary  corps. 

We  have  not  space  to  detail  the  events  by  which  the  war  was  speedi- 
ly brought  to  a  close.  The  Indians,  dispirited  and  outnumbered,  were, 
by  a  series  of  well -combined  movements,  speedily  killed,  dispersed,  or 
taken  ;  and  their  chiefs,  conducted  by  the  policy  of  the  general  govern- 
ment throughout  a  greater  portion  of  the  Union,  learned  too  well  the 
power  and  numbers  of  the  white  men  again  to  venture  upon  a  contest 
with  them. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1835,  the  discontents,  which  had  long  exist- 
ed among  a  portion  of  the  Seminole  Indians,  caused  by  their  approaching 
removal,  broke  out  into  open  hostilities  ;  and  on  the  28th  of  December, 
the  melancholy  massacre  of  Major  Dade's  detachment  showed  at  once 
the  determination  and  force  of  the  hostile  party.  Gen.  SCOTT  saw  the 
Secretary  of  War  at  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  20th.  Being 
asked  "  When  he  could  set  out  for  Florida  T  he  replied,  "  that  night." 
His  instructions,  however,  could  not  be  drawn  up  till  the  following  day. 
On  the  21st  of  January  of  the  following  year,  it  having  become  probable 
that  many  of  the  Creeks  would  join  the  Seminoles,  Maj.  Gen.  SCOTT 
received  orders  to  march  immediately  to  the  theatre  of  hostilities,  and 
assume  the  command.  Having  reached  Picolata,  on  the  St.  John's  ri- 
ver, SCOTT  issued  his  general  orderson  the  22d  of  February.  The  troops 
on  the  west  of  the  St.  John's,  under  Brig.  Gen.  Clinch,  were  to  consti- 
tute the  right  wing  of  the  army  ;  those  on  the  east  of  the  same  river, 
under  Brig.  Gen.  Eustis,  the  left ;  while  those  at  Tampa  Bay,  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Lindsay,  were  to  form  the  centre.  The  wings  were 
to  be  further  strengthened  by  large  reinforcements  of  volunteers  from 
the  neighboring  States. 

The  Indians  were  believed  at  this  time  to  be  concentrated  in  -the 
neighborhood  of  the  Withlacoochee.  Upon  this  point  the  three  divi- 
sions of  the  army  were  to  march  by  different  routes,  and  to  reach,  at  a 
specified  time,  their  indicated  stations.  The  Indians  were  now  to  be 
attacked  in  front  by  Gen.  SCOTT,  while  the  commands  under  Eustis 
and  Lindsay  were  not  only  to  assist  in  the  engagement,  but  to  close  in 
the  rear,  and  prevent  the  escape  of  the  Indians  to  the  south-east.  Had 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  combined  movements  been  effected  in  proper  time  and  with  ade- 
quate means,  the  war  would,  in  all  probability,  have  been  speedily  end- 
ed ;  but  the  lateness  of  the  season,  the  insufficiency  of  the  supplies  ne- 
cessary for  the  existence  of  the  army,  the  want  of  adequate  means  of 
transportation,  the  unknown  and  impracticable  nature  of  the  country, 
together  with  the  precipitate  movement  of  Gen.  Gaines  from  Tampa 
Bay,  all  contributed  to  the  failure  which  ensued.  On  the  5th  of  April 
the  three  columns  met  at  Tampa  Bay,  forced  to  come  in  by  the  want 
of  provisions. 

After  the  failure  of  the  great  plan  of  the  campaign,  some  minor  ope- 
rations were  undertaken  for  the  double  purpose  of  exploring  the  coun- 
try and  encountering  the  hostile  Indians  ;  but  the  approach  of  the  sick- 
ly season  soon  compelled  the  troops  to  go  into  quarters  for  the  sum- 
mer. 

Though  the  campaign  had  failed,  it  was  owing  to  causes  over  which 
SCOTT  had  no  control.  The  plan  was  not  only  feasible,  but,  in  the 
opinion  of  a  competent  judge,  the  only  one  which  afforded  a  prospect 
of  success.  "  The  only  true  plan  of  operations  against  them  (the  In- 
dians) "  writes  Gen.  Clinch  on  the  27th  of  April,  after  having  forced 
his  way  through  the  heart  of  the  Indian  country,  "  will  be  that  first 
assigned  by  you  ;  that  is,  a  force  from  Peklekaha.  a  force  ascending  by 
my  route,  and  a  corresponding  one  on  the  north  side."  But  SCOTT 
was  convinced,  from  an  examination  of  the  country,  that  the  war  would 
require  a  larger  force,  more  extensive  preparations,  and  a  greater  length 
of  time,  than  had  hitherto  been  deemed  necessary.  "  To  end  this  war," 
writes  he  to  the  Secretary  on  the  30th  of  April,  "  I  am  now  persuaded 
that  not  less  than  three  thousand  good  troops  are  indispensable ;  two 
thousand  four  hundred  infantry,  and  six  hundred  horse  ;  the  country  to 
be  scoured  arid  occupied  requiring  that  number ;"  together  with  these, 
i:  two  or  three  steamers,  with  a  light  draft  of  water,  and  fifty  or  sixty 
barges  capable  of  carrying  from  ten  to  fifteen  men  each.  I  have 
no  desire,"  continued  he,  "  to  conduct  the  operations  of  the  new  forces ; 
that  is  an  honor  which  I  shall  neither  solicit  nor  decline."  These  esti- 
mates were  at  the  time  the  subject  of  much  invidious  remark ;  but  experi- 
ence has  proved  the  justice  of  the  calculations  and  observations  on 
which  they  are  founded. 

Upon  the  army's  retiring  into  summer  quarters,  the  hostile  Indians 
again  renewed  their  predatory  excursions  ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  Flo- 
rida, who  had  suddenly  passed  from  too  great  a  contempt  for  the 
enemy  to  a  terror  as  groundless,  loudly  complained  of  the  defenceless 
condition  of  the  frontier  ;  and  the  public  papers  of  that  section  of  the 


WINFJELD  SCOTT. 

country  animadverted  in  the  severest  terms  upon  the  measures  of  the 
commanding  General.  But  just  recovering  from  an  illness,  induced 
by  his  exertions  and  by  the  unhealthiness  of  the  climate,  and  with 
evidence  before  him  of  the  extent  to  which  the  panic  had  spread  among 
the  Floridians,  SCOTT,  in  his  general  orders  of  May  17th,  spoke  of  it 
openly  and  severely  ;  and  this,  of  course,  did  not  tend  to  allay  the  dis- 
content. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  summer  the  disturbances  among  the  Creek 
Indians  called  SCOTT  to  Georgia  to  direct  in  person  the  operations  ne- 
cessary for  their  subjugation.  The  Indians  here  were  not  favored  to 
the  same  extent  as  the  Seminoles  by  the  nature  of  the  country  ;  in  a 
short  time  they  were  compelled  to  submit,  and  the  war  was  terminat- 
ed. Unfortunately,  however,  a  misunderstanding  had  occurred  be- 
tween Gen.  SCOTT  and  Gen.  Jessup,  who  had  served  under  him  with 
so  much  distinction  at  Chippewa  and  Bridgewater.  SCOTT  having 
complained  of  Gen.  Jessup's  disobedience  of  orders,  that  gentleman,  in- 
stead of  openly  demanding  an  investigation,  in  a  private  letter  to  Mr. 
Blair,  the  editor  of  the  Globe  newspaper,  attacked  the  plans  and  con- 
duct of  Gen.  SCOTT,  requesting,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  letter  should 
be  shown  to  the  President.  In  consequence,  on  the  9th  of  July,  SCOTT 
was  recalled.  The  General  proceeded  immediately  to  Washington  to 
demand  a  court  of  inquiry  upon  his  conduct  during  the  war  ;  and  on 
the  3d  of  October,  a  court,  composed  of  Maj.  Gen.  Macomb  and  Brig. 
Generals  Atkinson  and  Brady,  were  directed  to  assemble  at  Frederick, 
in  Maryland.  After  a  long  delay,  occasioned,  in  a  great  measure,  by 
the  difficuly  of  procuring  the  attendance  of  witnesses,  many  of  whom 
were  engaged  at  the  seat  of  war,  and  after  a  speech  by  Gen.  SCOTT,  re- 
markable alike  for  its  clear  arrangement,  its  close  reasoning,  and  trium- 
phant vindication  of  his  course,  the  court  unanimously  agreed  in  ap- 
proving of  his  plan  of  the  Seminole  campaign  as  well  "devised,  and  pro- 
secuted with  energy,  steadiness,  and  ability ;"  while,  with  regard  to 
the  Creek  war,  they  state  "the  plan  of  campaign,  as  adopted  by  Maj. 
Gen.  SCOTT,  was  well  calculated  to  lead  to  successful  results  ;  and  that 
it  was  prosecuted  by  him,  as  far  as  practicable,  with  zeal  and  ability 
until  he  was  recalled  from  the  command. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  disturbances  upon  the  Canadian  fron- 
tier duringthe  winter  of  1837-8,  the  services  Gen.  SCOTT  were  again  put 
in  requisition.  We  all  remember  that  the  excitement  and  ill-feeling, 
growing  out  of  the  rebellion  in  Canada,  had  nearly  produced  open  hos- 
tilities, at  a  time  when  the  United  States  had  not  a  soldier  upon  the 
lines  to  cause  their  neutrality  to  be  respected.  The  circumstances  de- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

manded  a  rare  union  of  firmness  and  moderation,  of  courage  and  of 
coolness,  of  vigorous  decision,  and  of  a  spirit  of  conciliation.  These 
qualities  were  found  united  in  Gen.  SCOTT.  In  the  course  of  a  short 
time  the  excitement  was  allayed,  and  all  danger  of  serious  collision  re- 
moved. 

At  present  Gen.  SCOTT  is  engaged  in  enforcing  and  superintending 
the  removal  of  the  Cherokees.  In  this  unpleasant  office,  the  same 
union  of  energy,  courage,  and  moderation,  by  which  his  character  is 
marked,  has  enabled  him  thus  far  to  command  the  respect,  at  the  same 
time  that  he  has  won  the  good-will,  of  the  Indians.  He  has  at  once  en- 
forced the  command  of  his  country,  and  obtained  the  removal  of  an  an- 
cient people  from  the  lands  long  inhabited  by  themselves  and  their  an- 
cestors, without  violence,  and,  we  believe,  without  irritation. 

O*n  the  llth  of  March,  1817,  Gen.  SCOTT  was  married  to  Miss  Ma- 
ria Mayo,  daughter  of  Col.  Mayo. 

After  the  preceding  narrative,  we  need  not  enter  upon  any  detailed 
account  of  the  character  of  Gen.  SCOTT.  Its  prominent  traits  are  sucli 
as  must  always  mark  the  eminent  commander — a  union  of  strong  in- 
tellect with  energy,  resolution,  and  determined  courage.  On  the  field 
of  battle,  his  indifference  to  danger  has  amounted  to  rashness  ;  but  his 
bravery  was  ever  untinged  by  ferocity.  Independently  of  the  actions 
in  which  he  has  been  engaged,  his  scientific  knowledge  of  his  profes- 
sion is  manifested  by  the  Manual  of  Infantry  Tactics ;  which,  in  con- 
formity with  a  resolution  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  he  prepared 
for  the  information  and  government  of  the  army, — a  work  alike  remark- 
able for  the  minuteness  of  its  details,  and  for  the  clear  and  simple  man- 
ner in  which  they  are  conveyed.  The  numerous  and  complicated 
evolutions  of  the  modern  art  of  war,  detailed  in  language  so  perspicu- 
ous as  to  be  comprehensible  by  the  unprofessional  reader,  while  the  pro- 
fessional merits  of  the  book  have  been  pronounced  by  competent 
judges  to  be  of  the  highest  order.  Gen.  SCOTT  is  intimately  and  cri- 
tically acquainted  with  the  literature  of  his  own  language ;  and  his  of- 
ficial letters,  and  the  pamphlets  of  which  he  is  the  author,  show  him 
to  be  possessed  of  a  style,  flowing,  correct  arid  elegant.  Though  now 
in  the  fifty- fourth  year  of  his  age,  he  retains,  to  a  remarkable  degree, 
the  vigor  and  buoyancy  of  youth  ;  and  should  our  country  again  be 
unfortunately  involved  in  a  general  war,  all  eyes  would  be  directed  to 
SCOTT  as  the  first  of  that  gallant  band  upon  whom  would  depend  the 
honor  and  success  of  our  arms. 


NICHOLAS     BIDDLE. 


THERE  is  one  species  of  ancestral  pride  which  the  sternest  republi- 
canism, in  its  most  jealous  mood,  regards  with  favor.  We  refer  to 
that  spirit  which,  in  Rome,  devoted  particular  families,  through 
many  generations,  to  the  republic,  and  which  impelled  the  second 
Brutus,  after  the  lapse  of  centuries,  to  emulate  the  glory  of  the  first. 
The  heritage  which  consists  in  hoarded  examples  of  lofty  patriotism 
inspires  every  motive  to  excellence.  Its  only  privilege  is  the  ne- 
cessity of  extraordinary  exertion  and  superior  worth ;  and,  while  it 
borrows  from  affection,  emulation,  and  pride,  the  strongest  stimu- 
lants to  virtuous  action,  it  surrounds  those  who  are  subject  to  it  by 
all  the  influences  which  enlarge  and  fortify  the  moral  and  intellec- 
tual character.  Few  men,  in  any  country,  have  been,  from  birth, 
association,  and  education,  more  exposed  to  these  kindling  and 
patriotic  influences  than  the  subject  of  this  brief  memoir.  His  an- 
cestors came  to  the  country  with  William  Penn,  and  participated  in 
all  the  privations  of  the  early  settlers.  Through  the  long  series  of 
contentions  between  the  people  of  the  province  and  the  proprietary 
government,  they  were  ranged  on  the  side  of  the  people;  and 
when  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out,  the  whole  family  was 
distinguished  in  its  zealous  and  heroic  espousal  of  the  cause  of  in- 
dependence. Then,  as  in  the  late  war,  the  entire  family  was  given 
to  the  country,  and  its  members  were  signalized  by  their  services 
in  the  council,  in  the  field,  and  on  the  wave.  Charles  Biddle,  the 
father  of  NICHOLAS  BIDDLE,  was^throughout  the  contest,  eminent 
for  his  active  services  and  firm  devotion  to  the  cause  ,•  and,  at  the 
time  of  the  birth  of  the  latter,  was  vice-president  of  the  com- 
monwealth, of  which  Benjamin  Franklin  was  president,  and,  we 
believe,  John  Armstrong,  late  minister  to  France,  secretary ;  a  fact 
which  sufficiently  indicates  the  high  place  which  he  had  secured 
in  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  country.  The  following  pas- 
sage of  a  familiar  and  private  letter  from  Charles  Biddle,  to  bo 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

found  in  the  second  volume  of  Davis'  Life  of  Burr,  gives  an  inter- 
esting anecdote  of  the  times,  and  exhibits  the  heroism  and  patriotic 
devotion  which  inspired  even  the  females  of  the  family.  "  I  remem- 
ber," says  Charles  Biddle,  "just  before  the  commencement  of  the 
revolutionary  war,  my  mother  was  disputing  with  an  English  officer. 
He  said  the  Americans,  of  right,  should  not  go  to  war ;  they  could 
do  nothing ;  they  could  get  no  person  to  head  them.  She  replied 
that  the  Americans  would  have  no  difficulty  in  finding  some  person 
to  command  their  army;  that  she  had  seven  sons,  and,  if  necessary, 
would  lead  them  herself  to  oppose  the  enemy.  Two  of  her  sons 
fell  during  the  war  in  the  service  of  the  country.  I,  too,  have  seven 
sons  whom  I  would  much  sooner  lead  to  the  field  than  suffer  our 
country  to  be  insulted."  The  patriotic  aspirations  of  the  father 
were  not  disappointed,  for  he  did  live  to  see  that  when  their  insulted 
country  called  upon  his  sons,  every  one  of  the  seven  was  found  at 
his  post. 

Edward  Biddle,  uncle  of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  served  as  a 
captain  in  the  sanguinary  war  of  1756.  He,  too,  was  among  the 
foremost  advocates  of  independence,  and  was  elected  a  representa- 
tive from  Pennsylvania  to  the  congress  of  1774.  He  was  afterwards 
speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  Pennsylvania ;  but  the 
decline  of  his  health  rendered  a  residence  in  the  South  necessary, 
and  on  his  way  thither,  death  closed  a  career  honorable  to  himself 
and  to  his  country.  Nicholas  Biddle,  another  uncle,  was  a  midship- 
man in  the  British  navy,  and  accompanied  Lord  Mulgrave  in  his 
expedition  to  the  North  Pole.  But,  with  the  characteristic  spirit 
of  the  family,  when  the  revolutionary  struggle  commenced,  he 
broke  through  the  influence  of  professional  association,  and  aban- 
doned the  brilliant  promises  of  the  British  service  to  share  the 
doubtful  fortunes  of  his  country.  He  entered  the  American  navy, 
and  the  government,  discerning  his  merit,  gave  him  all  that  he  re- 
quired— the  opportunity  to  win  distinction.  His  brief  career  is  in- 
terwoven with  one  of  the  proudest  incidents  of  our  history,  and 
while  the  American  navy  floats  upon  the  wave  will  be  remembered 
by  the  nation  with  wonder  and  exultation.  While  commanding  the 
American  frigate  Randolph  of  thirty-two  guns,  he  attacked,  in  the 
night,  the  Yarmouth,  a  British  sixty-four  gun  ship.  He  was  wound- 
ed early  in  the  action,  but  refusing  to  go  below  had  a  chair  placed 
on  the  quarter  deck,  from  which,  with  undaunted  spirit,  he  directed 
the  engagement ;  when,  in  the  midst  of  it,  from  some  accident  in  the 
magazine  of  the  Randolph  herself,  she  blew  up,  and  all  the  officers 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

and  crew,  except  three  men,  perished.  Nothing  could  be  more 
glorious  than  such  a  life— but  such  a  death. 

NICHOLAS  BIDDLE,  was  bora  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  8th  day  of 
January,  1786.  He  began  his  education  at  the  academy,  whence 
he  was  introduced  to  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  passing 
through  its  successive  probations,  was  about  to  take  his  degree  in 
1799,  when  his  extreme  youth,  being  then  only  thirteen  years  of  age, 
occasioned  his  being  sent  to  Princeton,  in  New  Jersey.  He  is  de- 
scribed by  those  who  knew  him  at  this  period,  as  a  thoughtful  and 
severe  student  and  a  youth  of  dauntless  and  indomitable  spirit.  A 
classmate  and  companion,  since  a  distinguished  citizen,  says  of  Mr. 
B.,  "I  enjoyed  an  intimacy  with  him  at  that  time,  which  gave 
me  full  opportunity  of  forming  a  judgment  of  his  abilities,  and  I 
have  a  distinct  recollection  of  having  made  up  my  mind  that  he 
was  destined  to  be  a  great  man." 

Young  BIDDLE  remained  at  Princeton  two  years  and  a  half,  and 
graduated  in  September,  1801.  His  collegiate  course  was  brilliant 
almost  beyond  parallel,  and  prepared  those  who  witnessed  it,  com- 
prising several  who  have  since  become  ornaments  of  the  republic, 
for  the  subsequent  and  loftier  triumphs  of  his  intellect.  His  stand- 
ing and  scholarship  are  shown  by  the  fact  that,  though  the  youngest 
person,  it  is  understood,  that  ever  graduated  before  or  since  that 
time  in  the  college,  he  and  Mr.  Edward  Watts  of  Virginia,  a  gen- 
tleman very  much  his  senior,  divided  the  first  honor  of  the  class,  the 
valedictory  being  assigned  to  Mr.  BIDDLE. 

On  leaving  college,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  Phila- 
delphia. About  this  time  his  abilities  attracted  the  attention  and 
excited  the  admiration  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  judges  of 
human  nature  which  our  country  has  afforded,  Colonel  Burr,  who 
predicted  for  him  a  career  of  eminent  usefulness  and  honor.  In  a 
letter  written,  on  the  eve  of  his  meeting  with  Hamilton,  to  his  son- 
in-law,  Governor  Alston,  and  containing  what  were  supposed  to  be 
his  last  injunctions,  the  following  singular  and  prophetic  passage 
occurs :  "  My  worthy  friend,  Charles  Biddle  of  Philadelphia,  has  six 
or  seven  sons — three  of  them  grown  up.  With  different  characters 
and  various  degrees  of  intelligence,  they  will  all  be  men  of  eminence 
and  of  influence." 

When  the  three  years  of  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  term  of  study  were  about 
to  expire,  General  Armstrong  was  appointed  minister  of  the  United 
States  to  France,  and  offered  to  take  the  son  of  his  old  friend  with 
him  as  secretary.  He  accordingly  embarked  in  the  year  1804,  and 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

spent  the  three  succeeding  years  in  Europe.  The  period  of  his  re- 
sidence in  France  was  one  of  extraordinary  interest,  not  merely  from 
its  embracing  the  career  of  Napoleon  from  his  coronation,  but  from 
the  complicated  relations  between  the  United  States  and  France, 
and  especially  from  the  examination  and  payment  in  detail  of  the 
claims  of  this  country  on  France,  which  were  paid  out  of  the  pur- 
chase money  for  Louisiana.  This  duty  devolved  almost  exclusively 
upon  the  young  secretary.  The  payments  were  made  at  the  French 
bureau,  and  Mr.  BIDDLE,  with  untiring  assiduity,  attended  to  the 
disbursement.  The  officers  of  the  French  government  are  mostly 
gentlemen  of  ripe  years ;  Mr.  BIDDLE,  then  about  eighteen,  was 
even  more  juvenile  in  appearance  than  years,  and  the  advent  among 
these  grave  dignitaries  of  this  youthful  depository  of  so  important 
a  trust  was  viewed  with  a  wonder  that  was  increased  when  they 
found  him  performing  his  arduous  duties  with  the  ability,  firmness, 
and  perseverance  of  a  veteran  statesman.  Notwithstanding  the 
severe  labors  of  his  office,  Mr.  BIDDLE  found  time  to  indulge  a 
liberal  curiosity  in  regard  to  all  the  great  objects  before  him,  and 
also  to  attend  the  scientific  lectures  so  frequent  and  accessible  in 
Paris.  After  leaving  the  legation  he  travelled  through  the  greater 
part  of  France,  through  Switzerland,  Italy,  Greece,  Germany,  Bel- 
gium, and  Holland.  He  then  went  to  England,  where  he  joined 
the  late  president  Monroe,  then  American  minister  in  London,  with 
whom  he  served  as  secretary,  Mr.  Monroe's  own  secretary  being 
absent.  During  his  residence  in  England,  an  incident  occurred 
which  Mr.  Monroe  took  great  pleasure  in  relating,  as  an  illustration 
of  the  ripe  scholarship  of  his  youthful  secretary  and  friend.  Mr. 
BIDDLE  accompanied  him  to  Cambridge,  where,  in  a  company  at 
which  the  most  learned  gentlemen  connected  with  the  university  were 
present,  a  discussion  took  place  on  some  philological  point  arising 
from  the  difference  between  the  Greek  of  Homer  and  the  idiom  of 
the  modern  Hellenes.  Though  familiar  with  the  language  of  Homer, 
the  literati  present  knew  but  little  of  the  modern  Greek,  and  the 
difficulty  remained  unsolved;  when  Mr.  BIDDLE,  who  united  to 
his  classic  accomplishments  a  knowledge  of  the  tongue  of  modern 
Greece  acquired  when  in  that  country,  joined  the  conversation  and 
explained  the  point,  exhibiting  a  knowledge  of  the  subject  so  pro- 
found and  critical,  that  the  learned  gentlemen  present  listened  in 
silent  amazement,  while  Monroe,  overjoyed  at  what  he  considered 
a  kind  of  American  triumph,  with  difficulty  repressed  his  exultation 
and  delight. 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

Mr.  BIDDLE  returned  home  in  the  autumn  of  1807.  During  his 
long  absence,  he  had  seen  much  of  men  and  things,  and  seen  them 
in  a  way  the  most  profitable.  The  ordinary  routine  of  what  is  called 
travelling,  the  indiscriminate  hurrying  after  objects  of  mere  curiosity, 
though  pleasant  while  it  lasts,  is  not  often  productive  of  good  to 
young  persons.  Mr.  BIDDLE  had  a  point  of  support,  an  object,  an 
employment,  and  that  employment  was  in  the  service  of  his  country. 
Nothing  so  effectually  subdues  the  spirit  of  party  and  removes  the 
prejudice  which  confines  the  anxieties  of  patriotism  to  one-half  the 
country,  as  a  residence  abroad  in  a  public  character;  a  position  that 
identifies  the  individual  with  the  whole  nation.  It  is,  perhaps,  this 
experience  that  has  given  to  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  mind  a  character  so 
wholly  national,  for  few  men  have  brought  into  the  public  councils 
a  spirit  more  expanded,  a  patriotism  more  comprehensive  or  more 
free  from  all  tincture  of  local  or  sectional  feeling. 

On  his  return  he  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law.  In  the 
fragments  of  time  saved  from  more  severe  pursuits,  he  occasionally 
relaxed  his  mind  in  contributions  to  the  scientific  and  literary  period- 
icals of  the  day.  His  efforts  were  as  diversified  as  literature  itself, 
and  exhibit  that  elasticity  of  mind  and  versatility  of  genius  which 
have  rendered  his  various  subsequent  productions  so  successful. 
His  disquisitions  on  the  Fine  Arts,  published  about  this  time,  dis- 
played a  profound  knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  acquired  a  repu- 
tation which  no  one  who  now  peruses  them  will  consider  unmerited. 
His  writings  at  this  period  are  graceful  and  polished.  Indeed,  seve- 
ral of  these  early  efforts  have  been,  and  are  even  now.  ascribed  to 
the  elegant  Dennie;  but  his  articles  manifest  an  originality  and  vigor, 
a  reach  of  thought  and  a  variety  of  acquirement  which  Dennie  did 
not  possess.  Their  mutual  friendship  induced  them  to  form  a 
literary  partnership  for  conducting  the  Port  Folio.  The  death, 
however,  of  Mr.  Dennie,  which  occurred  soon  after  the  association 
was  formed,  removed  its  principal  attraction  ;  but  Mr.  BIDDLE  con- 
tinued to  conduct  it  alone  for  some  time,  until  another  editor  was 
procured.  Of  the  merits  of  the  Port  Folio,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
speak ;  it  now  constitutes  a  part  of  the  literature  of  the  country — 
a  part  that  will  not  be  discredited  by  a  comparison  with  any  thing 
that  has  since  been  given  to  the  public.  About  this  period,  Lewis 
and  Clarke  were  preparing  for  publication  the  history  of  their  expe- 
dition across  the  continent  of  America;  but  the  premature  death 
of  Lewis  induced  his  companion,  Clarke,  to  solicit  Mr.  BIDDLE  to 
edit  the  work.  He  accordingly  went  carefully  over  the  materials 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

afforded  by  the  notes  of  the  expedition,  and  received  from  Mr.  Clarke 
a  large  mass  of  additional  information,  which  he  worked  up,  with 
great  skill  and  ability,  furnishing  one  of  the  most  valuable  and 
pleasant  productions  of  that  character  which  has  fallen  from  the 
press.  He  also  induced  Mr.  Jefferson  to  prepare  the  memoir  of 
Captain  Lewis  prefixed  to  the  work.  The  whole  was  ready  for 
publication,  when  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  public  engagements  rendered  it 
impossible  to  attend  to  its  passage  through  the  press,  and  he  there- 
fore transferred  the  work,  with  all  the  compensation  stipulated  for 
it,  to  Mr.  Paul  Allen.  Mr.  Allen  piloted  it  through  the  press,  and 
his  name  is  naturally  affixed  to  it;  but  as  a  matter  of  literary  history, 
it  is  a  subject  of  curiosity  to  know  that  these  two  octavo  volumes, 
"  The  Travels  of  Lewis  and  Clarke,"  were  written  by  Mr.  BIDDLE. 
The  engagements  referred  to  were  political.  He  was  chosen  one 
of  the  representatives  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia  in  the  state  legis- 
lature, in  which  capacity  he  passed,  at  Lancaster,  the  winter  of 
1810 — 11.  In  this  new  sphere  he  at  once  assumed  a  commanding 
position,  and  proved  himself  a  statesman  of  enlarged  views  and  lofty 
principles.  He  manifested,  from  the  start,  that  which  peculiarly 
distinguishes  the  patriot  statesman  from  the  mere  politician — the 
genius  to  originate  great  measures  for  the  advancement  of  the  public 
interests.  The  measures  brought  before  the  legislature  by  Mr. 
BIDDLE  have  since  been  made  familiar  to  the  public,  but  they  were 
then  new  and  startling  innovations.  The  statesman  who  projected 
them  did  not  light  his  torch  at  the  blaze  of  public  opinion,  but  relied 
upon  his  own  intellect  and  the  hope  of  illuminating  the  community. 
The  enterprise  demanded  a  quarter  of  a  century  for  its  consumma- 
tion ;  but  not  the  less  praise  is  due  to  him  who,  unaided  and  un- 
cheered,  ventured  upon  the  sea.  The  first  measure  of  this  character 
undertaken  by  Mr.  BIDDLE  was  the  establishment  of  a  system  of 
popular  education.  From  conviction  and  feeling  an  ardent  repub- 
lican, he  sought,  by  the  diffusion  of  popular  intelligence,  to  expand 
and  vindicate  the  democratic  principle.  He,  therefore,  brought  the 
project  before  the  legislature,  and  labored  energetically  in  its  sup- 
port. He  made  an  elaborate  and  eloquent  report,  and  introduced 
a  school  bill,  the  basis  of  which  was,  not  a  gratuitous  but  a  very 
cheap  system  of  public  instruction.  He  urged  the  scheme  with  zeal 
and  power ;  but  he  was  before  the  age.  The  state  was  not  pre- 
pared for  such  novelties.  The  glory  of  carrying  out  these  princi- 
ples belongs  to  the  present  generation;  the  school  law  of  1836 
being  only  the  ripe  fruit  of  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  bill  of  1811.  But  those 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

who  rejoice  most  in  their  triumph  will  accord  to  NICHOLAS  BIDDLE 
the  credit  of  being  the  father  of  the  system  of  popular  instruction 
in  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  BIDDLE'S  attention  was  also  directed  to  the  commencement 
of  a  vigorous  system  of  internal  improvement. 

But  a  measure  of  more  general  interest,  and  which  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  union  at  large,  drew  upon  the  youthful  statesman 
the  eyes  of  the  whole  nation.  The  charter  of  the  bank  of  the 
United  States  expired  in  1811 ;  and  the  question  of  its  recharter  was 
then  agitated  with  as  much  violence  as  the  same  subject  has,  in 
later  days,  excited.  Among  the  modes  of  opposition  practised  by 
the  enemies  of  the  bank,  one  was  to  procure  instructions  from  the 
legislature  to  the  members  of  congress  from  Pennsylvania  to  vote 
against  the  recharter.  A  resolution  of  this  character  was  introduced, 
and  it  was  in  opposition  to  that  resolution  that  Mr.  BIDDLE  made 
his  first  speech.  The  speech  produced  a  great  sensation  at  the  time, 
and  established  the  reputation  of  its  author.  It  is  remarkable  not 
only  for  its  power  and  the  soundness  of  its  general  principles,  but 
from  the  strange  coincidence  that  he  should  begin  his  career  by  a 
prophetic  warning  of  the  evil  consequences  of  the  destruction  of  the 
bank ;  that  those  evils  should  have  actually  occurred ;  that  the  list- 
eners to  that  warning,  convinced  by  melancholy  experience  of  their 
error,  should,  when  afterwards  transferred  to  Washington,  have 
been  the  chief  promoters  of  the  charter  of  a  new  bank ;  and,  finally, 
that  this  very  youth  should  become  the  head  of  that  bank,  and  in 
that  capacity,  vindicating  his  early  positions,  should  acquire  for 
himself  and  the  institution  a  credit  throughout  the  commercial 
world,  of  which  the  history  of  the  country  furnishes  no  parallel.  It 
is  no  less  remarkable  that  although  the  question  was  then  wholly 
new,  not  having  yet  been  discussed  in  congress  or  elsewhere,  the 
speech  of  Mr.  BIDDLE  embodies,  in  a  condensed  form,  almost  every 
thing — the  leading  principles  and  general  facts — which  has  been  since 
developed  in  the  multitudinous  discussions  that  have  succeeded. 
The  speech  itself  elicited  universal  applause,  and  received,  what  is 
more  valuable  than  any  general  praise,  the  most  decided  eulogium 
from  the  late  Chief  Justice  Marshall.  It  was  circulated  generally, 
and  eagerly  read,  and  did  much  to  extend  and  establish  the  reputa- 
tion of  its  author  in  all  sections  of  the  union. 

At  the  close  of  the  session  he  declined  a  reelection,  and  retired 
from  public  life,  dividing  his  time  between  his  studies,  which  were 
always  pursued  with  the  most  vigorous  diligence,  and  agriculture, 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

for  which  he  has  manifested,  throughout  life,  a  decided  predilection. 
These  pursuits  were,  however,  soon  interrupted  by  the  events  of 
the  war,  which  summoned  into  action  the  best  spirits  of  the  nation. 
In  the  year  1814,  the  situation  of  the  country  was  extremely  critical. 
The  capitol  had  been  destroyed,  the  whole  south  was  menaced  by 
a  flushed  and  insolent  foe,  the  finances  were  in  extreme  disorder, 
and  every  thing  indicated  despondency  and  distress.  These  were 
not  times  when  a  Biddle  could  enjoy  retirement  and  inaction.  He 
was  elected  to  represent  the  city  and  county  of  Philadelphia  in  the 
senate  of  Pennsylvania,  by  a  vote  considerably  beyond  that  of  any 
party  for  the  legislature  or  congress.  Of  the  spirit  which  he  carried 
into  the  public  councils,  some  idea  may  be  formed  from  the  fact, 
that  of  the  seven  brothers  composing  his  family,  one  was  an  officer 
in  the  navy,  (Commodore  James  Biddle,)  two  were  in  the  regular 
army,  and  three  were  volunteers  in  active  service  in  the  militia, 
while  he,  the  seventh,  was  in  the  senate.  As  soon  as  it  was  appa- 
rent that  no  reliance  could  be  placed  on  congress,  he  came  forward 
in  the  senate  with  his  own  plans  of  defence.  "  It  is  now,"  said  he, 
"  nearly  four  months  since  the  eyes  of  this  nation  have  anxiously 
watched  the  movements  of  congress.  They  found  the  capitol  in 
ruins — the  finances  prostrate — the  army,  in  every  thing  but  its 
honor,  a  shadow — the  whole  coast  menaced  with  invasion — no 
hopes  of  peace  but  by  the  sword.  These  things  might  have  kindled 
into  energy  the  dullest  statesman ;  yet  day  after  day  has  been  wasted 
in  frivolous  debate  or  bitter  controversies — and  now  neither  men 
nor  money,  nor  preparations  for  defence,  nor  means  of  carrying  on 
the  war,  seem  to  be  expected  from  that  congress  which  was  con- 
vened for  the  express  purpose  of  providing  them.  It  is  time,  there- 
fore, for  Pennsylvania  to  defend  herself,  to  indulge  no  longer  in  this 
fatal  confidence,  but  at  once  look  all  our  dangers  in  the  face  and 
prepare  to  repel  them." 

He  then  presented  a  system  which  consisted  of  a  bounty  for  sailors 
to  man  the  floating  batteries  for  the  defence  of  Philadelphia,  the 
purchase  of  arms,  the  levy  of  a  permanent  military  force  of  eight 
thousand  men,  and  a  loan  on  the  credit  of  the  state  to  defray  the 
expense  of  these  measures.  All  these  provisions  were  adopted  by 
the  senate ;  but,  in  the  house  of  representatives,  the  army  bill  was 
lost  from  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  mode  of  raising  the  neces- 
sary force.  It  was  immediately  revived  in  the  senate,  and  that  body 
was  actually  engaged  in  discussing  it,  when  the  debate  was  sud- 
denly terminated  by  the  arrival  of  the  glad  tidings  that  the  war  was 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

at  an  end.  All  the  measures  for  the  defence  of  Pennsylvania  were 
proposed  by  Mr.  BIDDLE  ;  and  those  who  witnessed  the  crisis  will 
not  forget  the  patriotic  energy  with  which  he  met  the  emergency. 

The  return  of  peace  left  to  the  legislature  only  one  duty  to  the 
other  states,  that  of  quieting  the  political  distractions  which  had 
grown  out  of  the  war.  In  the  midst  of  that  conflict,  the  New  Eng- 
land states,  chafed  by  what  they  deemed  wrongs  to  their  peculiar 
interests,  met  in  convention  at  Hartford  and  proposed  to  all  the 
other  states  radical  changes  in  the  constitution  of  the  union.  This 
abandonment  of  their  own  work,  this  declaration  of  the  weakness 
and  insufficiency  of  that  constitution  which  these  New  England 
states  had  been  the  foremost  to  adopt,  was  of  such  evil  example, 
that  it  was  justly  deemed  of  great  importance  to  counteract  its  in- 
fluence. The  other  states  had  given  cold  or  contumelious  negatives 
to  this  proposal,  calculated  only  to  harden  the  prejudices  they  could 
not  subdue.  It  was  thought  far  better  to  address  the  reason  of  the 
country,  to  interpose  between  the  combatants  the  quiet  energy  of 
Pennsylvania,  which  had  no  object  to  gain  but  the  general  good  of 
the  union,  and  endeavor  to  satisfy  the  country  that  the  constitution 
was  not  the  weak  and  impotent  federation  which  these  reformers 
pronounced  it,  but  that  it  was  a  just  and  generous  compact  which 
could  be  only  injured  by  the  proposed  attempts  to  improve  it.  For 
this  purpose  Mr.  BIDDLE  prepared,  and  the  legislature  adopted,  a 
report  which  was  considered  as  the  answer  of  Pennsylvania  to  the 
Hartford  convention.  This  production  was  worthy  the  occasion  and 
the  exalted  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended.  It  bears  the  impress 
of  genius,  and  stamps  its  author  as  a  statesman.  The  report  did 
not  fail  to  produce  a  deep  impression  not  only  in  this  country  but 
abroad,  as  being  not  merely  a  refutation  of  the  proposed  amend- 
ments, but  a  thorough  and  masterly  vindication  of  the  institutions 
of  the  United  States.  One  of  the  most  distinguished  political  writers 
of  England  said  of  it  on  its  first  appearance  :  "  With  the  exception 
of  the  poems  of  Pope,  I  never  read  any  thing  of  which  I  should  so 
much  like  to  have  been  the  author  as  this  answer  of  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania.  Let  any  man  read  this  paper  penned  in  one  of  the 
state  legislatures  of  America,  and  when  he  has  compared  it  with  the 
state  papers  of  our  ambassadors  and  ministers,  let  him  say  whether 
aristocracy  has  reserved  itself  a  monopoly  of  talent."  Mr.  BIDDLE'S 
report  unquestionably  does  honor  to  his  native  state,  and  may  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  very  best  state  papers  which  the  political 
controversies  of  our  country  have  elicited.  Even  at  this  day,  it  may 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

be  read  with  profit  and  interest,  as  presenting  views  of  public  policy 
applicable  to  many  of  the  political  questions  now  agitating  us. 

In  the  year  1817,  Mr.  BIDDLE,  after  a  legislative  career  which 
exhibited  a  brilliant  genius  joined  with  an  ardent  devotion  to  the 
public  good,  and  which  secured  him  the  confidence  of  all  parties, 
voluntarily  retired  from  the  senate  before  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  service,  and  resumed  his  private  pursuits.  He  now  devoted 
himself  with  uninterrupted  ardor  to  the  studies  from  which  his  pub- 
lic duties  had  partially  alienated  him.  Despising  the  arts  by  which 
demagogues  urge  themselves  upon  a  reluctant  people,  he  rather 
shunned  than  courted  political  distinction.  His  distinguished  merit, 
however,  could  not  be  overlooked,  and  at  the  succeeding  election, 
1818,  he  was  nominated  to  represent  the  city  and  county  of  Phila- 
delphia in  congress ;  but  the  democratic  party,  of  which  he  was  a 
candidate,  was  then  in  a  minority,  and  although  he  received  a  larger 
number  of  votes  than  any  other  candidate  on  the  same  ticket,  the 
adverse  party  prevailed.  At  the  next  congressional  election  in 
1820,  he  was  again  nominated,  by  the  same  political  party,  but  with 
the  same  result,  Mr.  B.  again  receiving  a  larger  vote  than  any  of 
his  colleagues  on  the  same  ticket. 

In  the  year  1819,  he  first  became  connected  with  the  bank  of  the 
United  States,  an  incident  which  contributed  to  give  a  direction  to 
his  subsequent  career,  and  secured  to  the  country  the  aid  of  his  ex- 
traordinary abilities  in  the  important  field  of  finance.  The  institu- 
tion was  at  that  time  justly  considered  in  great  jeopardy.  Its  affairs 
had  been  investigated  by  a  committee  of  congress,  and  the  report 
of  that  committee  tended  to  inspire  distrust  and  apprehension.  To 
add  to  these  difficulties,  its  president  had  resigned;  and  the  position 
and  prospects  of  the  bank  became  so  critical,  that  the  most  vigorous 
exertions  were  deemed  necessary  to  revive  the  public  confide'nce. 
For  this  purpose,  president  Monroe,  without  the  knowledge  of  Mr. 
BIDDLE,  nominated  him  as  a  director  of  the  bank  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States.  This  mark  of  confidence  was  not  only  unexpected, 
but  unwelcome  to  Mr.  B.,  for  he  had  previously  declined  being  a 
director  on  the  part  of  the  stockholders ;  but  thus  summoned,  by  the 
national  executive,  to  what  had  become  a  serious  and  important 
trust,  he  did  not  feel  himself  at  liberty  to  decline  the  task.  He  ac- 
cordingly took  his  place  in  the  bank  at  the  same  time  that  Mr. 
Langdon  Cheves,  who  had  been  previously  elected  president,  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  his  station.  In  conjunction  with  that  gentleman 
he  labored  with  great  industry  in  arranging  the  affairs  and  esta- 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE.  " 

blishing  the  character  of  the  institution,  and,  having  no  special  em- 
ployment at  the  time,  was  enabled  to  turn  into  that  channel  the 
almost  undivided  energies  of  his  mind. 

An  active  intellect,  however,  has,  even  amid  the  most  engrossing 
labors,  leisure  for  incidental  duties.  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  energetic  habits 
enabled  him,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Monroe,  to  undertake  and  ac- 
complish a  work  for  which  his  varied  acquirements  peculiarly  qua- 
lified him.  By  a  resolution  of  congress,  the  department  of  state  was 
authorized  to  collect  the  laws  and  regulations  of  all  foreign  countries 
relative  to  commerce,  moneys,  weights,  and  measures,  and  the 
various  objects  connected  with  trade.  The  duty  was  committed 
by  the  president  to  Mr.  BIDDLE,  who  analyzed  and  digested,  with 
great  ability,  a  large  mass  of  crude  materials  in  various  languages, 
into  an  octavo  volume  entitled  "  Commercial  Digest." 

In  the  year  1821,  he  removed  permanently  to  his  farm  in  Bucks 
county.  While  residing  there,  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Cheves  as 
president  of  the  United  States  Bank  occasioned  a  general  convention 
at  Philadelphia  of  all  the  stockholders  of  the  bank  throughout  the 
United  States.  The  selection  of  a  successor  was  regarded  as  a 
matter  of  great  delicacy  and  importance,  not  merely  in  relation  to 
the  interests  of  the  institution  itself,  but  from  its  influence  upon  the 
credit  and  commercial  prosperity  of  the  country  at  large.  The  sub- 
ject was,  therefore,  anxiously  canvassed  as  well  in  the  public  prints 
as  among  the  stockholders.  The  station  called  for  commanding 
abilities,  a  genius  practical,  fertile  in  resources,  profoundly  skilled 
in  finance,  and  versed  in  all  the  comprehensive  and  diversified  inte- 
rests connected  with  trade.  Public  opinion  pointed  to  Mr.  BIDDLE 
as  preeminently  fitted  for  the  arduous  and  momentous  trust,  and  he 
was  accordingly  invited  to  accept  the  presidency.  The  result  elicited 
general  applause,  and  the  government  manifested  its  approbation 
of  the  choice  by  appointing  Mr.  B.  a  director  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States.  He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  in  January, 
1823.  His  previous  service  of  three  years  in  the  bank  had  made 
him  familiar  with  its  concerns,  and  had  given  him  some  peculiar 
views  of  its  administration,  which  he  now  proceeded  gradually  and 
cautiously  to  develope.  The  details  of  this  subject  belong  to  his- 
tory, and  cannot,  of  course,  be  given  in  the  present  brief  and  hur- 
ried notice ;  but  the  general  purpose  of  the  change  of  system  may 
be  made  intelligible  in  a  few  words.  By  the  charter  of  the  bank, 
all  its  notes  were  made  receivable  in  all  payments  to  the  govern- 
ment. It  was  objected  that  as  these  notes  were  payable  in  so  many 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

places,  provision  must  be  made  to  pay  them  in  those  places,  so  that 
a  greater  amount  of  specie  must  be  kept  in  reserve  than  the  amount 
of  notes  in  circulation.  Application  was  made  to  congress  to  alter 
the  charter  so  as  to  make  the  notes  payable  only  where  they  were 
issued,  and  it  was  declared  by  the  bank  to  congress,  that  unless  the 
change  were  made,  the  bank  would  be  not  only  useless  but  injurious. 
With  this  view  of  the  subject,  there  could,  of  course,  be  no  general 
circulation  of  its  notes,  no  regulation  of  the  domestic  exchanges — 
the  whole  amount  of  notes  on  the  first  of  January,  1823,  being 
about  three  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  amount  of  do- 
mestic bills  on  hand  less  than  two  millions  of  dollars. 

With  these  opinions  Mr.  BJDDLE  did  not  at  all  concur.  He  thought 
that  the  universal  receivability  of  the  notes,  so  far  from  being  inju- 
rious, was  highly  beneficial  to  the  bank  and  to  the  country ;  and  that 
there  was  no  danger  of  issuing  the  notes,  if  the  branches  issuing 
them  were  careful  to  provide  funds  for  their  redemption  at  the  points 
to  which  the  well  known  course  of  trade  would  necessarily  carry 
them.  He  considered  this  very  provision  beneficial  in  another  point 
of  view ;  he  believed  that  it  would  enable  the  bank,  by  the  policy 
just  mentioned,  to  regulate  the  domestic  exchanges  and  effect  the 
great  object  of  its  creation.  Having  matured  the  project  in  his  own 
mind,  he  proceeded  to  carry  it  out.  Years  of  patient  and  anxious 
labor,  directed  by  the  most  vigilant  sagacity,  were  necessary  to  bring 
all  the  parts  of  this  original  and  admirable  system  into  full  action. 
That  consummation  was,  however,  at  last  attained,  when,  as  in 
1835,  there  had  been  established  nine  new  branches,  making  the 
whole  consist  of  the  bank  at  Philadelphia  and  twenty-five  branches; 
sustaining  a  wholesome  circulation  of  twenty-four  millions,  based 
on  twenty-four  millions  of  current  bills  of  exchange,  with  fifteen  or 
sixteen  millions  of  specie. 

The  change  thus  gradually  and  quietly  effected,  was  regarded 
throughout  the  world  as  one  of  the  miracles  of  genius.  It  bright- 
ened the  aspect  of  the  whole  country,  and  inspired  health  and  ani- 
mation in  all  the  various  pursuits  of  trade  and  industry.  The  effect 
of  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  system  is  thus  explained  by  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee of  ways  and  means  of  the  house  of  representatives  :  "It  may 
be  confidently  asserted  that  no  country  in  the  world  has  a  currency 
of  greater  uniformity  than  the  United  States,  and  that  no  country 
of  any  thing  like  the  same  geographical  extent,  has  a  currency  at  all 
comparable  to  that  of  the  United  States  on  the  score  of  uniformity ;" 
and  again :  "  It  has  actually  furnished  a  circulating  medium  more 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

uniform  than  specie."  The  committee  of  finance  of  the  senate 
characterized  with  equal  force  the  success  of  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  admi- 
nistration. "  This  seems  to  present  a  state  of  currency  approaching 
as  near  to  perfection  as  could  be  desired ;"  and  again ;  "  It  is  not 
easy  to  imagine,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  desire,  any  currency 
better  than  this." 

During  the  whole  of  this  period,  the  bank  was  an  object  of  uni- 
versal and  deserved  popularity.  Applications  were  constantly  made 
for  the  establishment  of  its  branches  in  every  section  of  the  country. 
The  institution  was  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  administrations  of 
Mr.  Monroe  and  Mr.  Adams,  and  pursued  its  noiseless  career  of 
usefulness,  praised  and  cherished  by  all  classes  and  parties.  Per- 
haps not  an  individual  in  the  country  dreamed  that  it  would  or 
could  be  made  the  subject  of  opposition. 

It  was  during  this  career  that  General  Jackson  came  into  power. 
One  of  the  first  measures  of  his  administration  was  believed  to  be 
an  effort  to  connect  the  bank  with  his  political  support.  The 
attempt  was  full  of  danger  to  the  country,  and  had  the  administra- 
tion of  the  bank  been  in  feeble  or  corrupt  hands  would  doubtless 
have  succeeded.  It  was,  however,  immediately  and  decisively 
repelled:  but  from  that  moment  a  war  was  waged  against  the 
institution,  which  in  intense  exasperation  can  scarcely  find  a  par- 
allel in  the  history  of  civil  dissension.  Our  limits  will  not  permit  us 
even  to  refer  to  the  details  of  that  interesting  struggle ;  our  present 
purpose  is  to  exhibit  its  effect  upon  the  character  of  the  president 
of  the  bank.  The  position  and  popularity  of  the  high  functionary 
who  decreed  the  downfall  of  the  institution  were  certainly  formida- 
ble ;  but  it  was  in  the  hands  of  one  adequate  to  any  emergency. 
Mr.  BIDDLE  owed  it  to  his  country  and  to  the  institution  over  which 
he  presided  to  uphold  it,  and  he  did  so ;  not  passively  or  with  in- 
decision, but  with  determined  and  active  vigor.  He  manifested 
throughout  the  series  of  extraordinary  events  which  succeeded,  a 
firmness  that  never  was  shaken  and  a  calmness  that  nothing  could 
ruffle.  His  skilful  pilotage  of  the  institution  through  that  storm 
displayed  a  mind  rich  in  all  that  the  crisis  demanded ;  composed, 
but  ardent ;  prompt,  but  profound ;  a  genius  so  bold  and  compre- 
hensive, a  knowledge  so  vast,  an  experience  so  complete,  a  fertility 
of  resources  so  ready  and  inexhaustible,  that  we  cannot  be  surprised 
at  the  admiration  which  it  everywhere  inspired.  The  odds  were 
all  against  him  in  the  contest,  yet  he  was  never  found  wanting,  and 
never  placed  in  the  wrong.  His  course  won  the  applause  of  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

first  spirits  of  the  age  in  this  country  and  Europe,  and  secured  him 
the  confidence  and  gratitude  not  only  of  his  constituents  of  the  bank, 
but  of  the  business  community  at  large.  Mr.  John  Q.  Adams,  in 
his  report  of  1832,  speaks  thus  of  the  administration  of  Mr.  BIDDLE. 
"Ten  years  long  has  this  confidence  been  enjoyed  and  justified  by 
that  distinguished  citizen  and  honorable  man.  No  scruple  has  ever 
crossed  the  mind  of  any  president  of  the  United  States  to  deter  him 
from  nominating  him  year  after  year  as  a  government  director. 
Not  a  voice  had  ever  been  raised  in  the  senate  to  cause  their  hesi- 
tation to  confirm  his  appointment ;  and  so  perfectly  in  harmony 
with  this  confidence  was  that  of  the  public,  that  not  a  rumor  has 
ever  been  raised  of  the  prospect  or  even  of  the  project  of  the  election 
of  any  other  person  as  president  in  his  place." 

The  general  results  of  the  contest  are  well  known.  Mr.  BIDDLE, 
notwithstanding  General  Jackson's  opposition,  procured  from  con- 
gress, by  large  majorities  in  both  houses,  a  recharter  of  the  bank  in 
1832.  This  act  the  president  vetoed.  From  that  time  no  further 
application  was  made  to  congress ;  but,  at  the  expiration  of  the  charter 
granted  by  the  United  States,  a  new  charter  was  obtained  from  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania  for  the  same  capital.  The  whole  history  of 
these  events  is  condensed  in  a  few  words  in  the  address  of  Mr.  BID- 
DLE, in  presenting  this  charter  to  the  stockholders. 

"  I  was  about  to  ask  leave  to  retire  from  your  service,  when  an 
unhappy  controversy  arose  between  the  bank  and  one  of  its  part- 
ners, the  government ;  and  I  felt  bound  to  stand  by  the  bank  while 
its  interests  seemed  in  jeopardy.  It  was  an  original  misfortune  in 
the  structure  of  the  bank,  that  it  was  in  any  way  connected  with 
persons  in  office.  The  instincts  of  all  political  power  make  that  as- 
sociation dangerous — useful  to  neither  party,  injurious  to  both. 
Accordingly  I  saw,  or  thought  I  saw,  in  our  official  associate  a 
design  to  subject  to  personal  and  political  influences  the  movements 
of  the  bank.  I  knew  that  such  a  purpose,  if  defeated,  might  destroy 
the  bank,  but,  if  successful,  would  make  it  not  worth  preserving ; 
and  that  it  was  better  for  the  bank,  and  far  better  for  the  free  insti- 
tutions of  the  country,  that  the  bank  should  perish  in  that  struggle, 
rather  than  prolong  its  existence  by  surviving  its  independence. 
My  effort  then,  was,  at  all  times,  and  at  all  hazards,  to  maintain  the 
rights  of  the  institution,  respectfully,  fearlessly,  calmly ;  yielding 
nothing  to  the  madness  of  popular  delusion,  compromising  nothing 
with  official  power.  How  that  strife  was  conducted  you  all  know 
— how  it  has  ended  is  proved  by  the  events  of  this  day,  which  ren- 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

der  the  banic  safer,  stronger,  and  more  prosperous  than  it  ever  was. 
Of  that  unfortunate  associate  I  desire  to  speak  with  all  gentleness 
and  forbearance,  nor  will  I  mar  the  pleasures  of  this  meeting  by  any 
recurrence  to  the  past.  He  will  soon  leave  us.  He  will  carry  away 
not  only  a  just,  but  a  generous  portion  of  our  earnings ;  but  then  he 
will  depart  in  peace — forgiven  and  forgotten." 

These  more  important  and  engrossing  avocations  did  not  prevent 
him  from  engaging  in  other  duties,  which  he  found,  we  can  scarcely 
imagine  how,  time  to  fulfil.  No  measure  for  the  advancement  of 
learning  and  the  arts,  no  scheme  for  the  public  good,  no  effort  of 
patriotism  or  humanity  has  wanted  his  generous  and  hearty  support. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  a  great  number  of  societies  for  benevolent 
and  useful  purposes.  As  president  of  the  Agricultural  Society  of 
Philadelphia  he  has,  by  his  zeal,  practical  knowledge,  and  high  ex- 
ample, done  much  to  promote  the  farming  interests  of  the  state.  He 
is  himself  a  successful  agriculturist ;  and  the  products  of  his  farm 
have,  in  market,  as  well  as  the  horticultural  exhibitions  at  the  city, 
been,  for  years,  objects  of  curiosity  and  commendation.  As  presi- 
dent of  the  Girard  College,  his  exertions  have  manifested  an  intense 
interest  in  the  cause  of  popular  instruction,  and  have  contributed 
mainly  to  the  organization  of  that  noble  institution  upon  safe  and 
expanded  principles.  To  his  exertions  alone  the  country  owes  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  structures  of  modern  times — the  Girard  College. 
Mr.  BIDDLE,  in  the  spirit  of  Pericles,  determined  that  the  structure 
should  be  built  for  posterity.  He  proposed  the  present  plan,  and,  in 
the  midst  of  wild  political  excitement  and  opposition,  persisted  firmly, 
and  secured  a  building  which  every  citizen  now  not  only  approves 
but  applauds,  and  which  will,  hereafter,  be  the  architectural  boast  of 
the  country.  While  on  this  subject  we  may  add,  that  the  building 
which  next  to  the  Girard  College  is  perhaps  the  noblest  triumph  of 
architecture  in  the  land,  the  United  States  Bank,  was  also  erected 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  BIDDLE,  as  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee  of  that  institution.  This  interest  in  all  the  arts  which 
adorn  and  dignify  social  existence,  united,  as  it  is,  with  a  stern  de- 
votion to  the  harsher  philosophy  of  practical  life,  is  a  peculiarity  of 
Mr.  BIDDLE'S  character. 

We  shall  here  close  what  concerns  the  public  career  of  Mr.  BID- 
DLE, of  which  we  purposed  to  give  only  a  general  outline,  and, 
having  already  transcended  our  limits,  will  add  only  a  few  words 
touching  those  miscellaneous  particulars  which  may  interest  our 
readers. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

In  the  course  of  his  career,  he  has,  on  various  occasions,  appeared 
before  the  public  as  a  writer.  Though  these  effusions,  with  the 
exception  of  his  juvenile  efforts,  have  been  extorted  from  him  amid 
the  clash  and  bustle  of  laborious  and  often  momentous  duties,  yet 
he  who  peruses  them  cannot  repress  a  sentiment  of  regret  that  Mr. 
BIDDLE  had  not  been  devoted  to  literature  alone.  His  speeches  in 
the  legislature  were  reprinted  and  praised  in  all  parts  of  the  union. 
His  eulogium  on  Thomas  Jefferson,  delivered  before  the  Philoso- 
phical Society,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  is  considered  the  best  pro- 
nounced on  that  occasion,  though  the  subject  engaged  the  first 
intellects  of  the  country.  The  oration  on  agriculture,  delivered  by 
him  before  the  Agricultural  Society,  unites  practical  instruction  with 
classic  learning  and  eloquence.  The  closing  passage,  especially,  is 
of  surpassing  excellence.  His  address  before  the  Alumni  Association 
of  Nassau  Hall  is  of  a  still  higher  order  of  merit.  It  points  out  the 
public  duties  of  an  American,  and  never  were  the  high  privileges 
and  responsibilities  of  a  freeman  so  well  portrayed.  His  own  lofty 
and  unshackled  spirit  breathes  and  burns  in  every  period.  He  en- 
joins with  earnest  and  kindling  eloquence  the  learning,  labor,  and 
elevation  of  spirit  which  honest  public  life  requires,  and  holds  up  to 
scorn  the  unworthy  parasites  of  the  populace.  After  referring  to 
the  patriots  of  other  ages  and  countries,  he  says:  "Trained  by  these 
studies  and  animated  by  the  habitual  contemplation  of  those  who 
have  gone  before  you,  as  a  true  American  statesman,  you  may  lay 
your  hand  on  your  country's  altar.  From  that  hour,  swerved  by 
no  sinister  purpose,  swayed  by  no  selfish  motive,  your  whole  heart 
must  be  devoted  to  her  happiness  and  her  glory.  No  country  could 
be  worthier  a  statesman's  care.  On  none  has  nature  lavished  more 
of  the  materials  of  happiness  and  of  greatness ;  as  fatal  if  they  are 
misdirected,  as  they  must  be  glorious  when  rightly  used.  On  the 
American  statesman,  then,  devolves  the  solemn  charge  of  sustaining 
its  institutions  against  temporary  excesses,  either  of  the  people  or 
their  rulers ;  and  protecting  them  from  their  greatest  foes,  which 
will  always  lie  in  their  own  bosom.  You  can  accomplish  this  only 
by  persevering  in  your  own  independence — by  doing  your  duty 
fearlessly  to  the  country.  If  you  fail  to  please  her,  do  not  the  less 
serve  her,  for  she  is  not  the  less  your  country"  Were  the  states- 
men of  our  country  guided  by  the  following  high  and  heroic  prin- 
ciples, our  republic  would  be  immortal :  "  Never  let  any  action  of 
your  life  be  influenced  by  the  desire  of  obtaining  popular  applause 
at  the  expense  of  your  own  sincere  and  manly  convictions.  No 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

favor  from  any  sovereign,  a  single  individual,  or  thirteen  millions, 
can  console  you  for  the  loss  of  your  own  esteem.  If  they  are  of- 
fended, trust  to  their  returning  reason  to  do  you  justice,  and  should 
that  hope  fail,  where  you  cannot  serve  with  honor  you  can  retire 
with  dignity.  You  did  not  seek  power,  and  you  can  readily  leave 
it,  since  you  are  qualified  for  retirement,  and  since  you  carry  into  it 
the  proud  consolation  of  having  done  your  duty."  Mr.  BIDDLE'S 
style  is  formed  on  the  purest  models.  He  has  cultivated  with  great 
success  the  power  of  saying  the  most  things  in  the  fewest  words. 
Condensation,  point,  and  originality,  are  his  peculiarities.  His 
thoughts  do  not  struggle  in  a  deluge  of  words,  and  are  not  expressed 
in  the  swollen  diction  which  he  has  felicitously  characterized  as  "  our 
western  orientalism"  His  manner,  however,  is  not  only  classic  in 
its  simplicity ;  it  is  breathing  and  quick  with  life ;  his  sentences  are 
exquisitely  turned,  and  modulated  with  a  delicate  perception  of 
melody. 

Though  Mr.  BIDDLE,  when  in  public  life,  won  distinction  as  a 
speaker,  his  pursuits  have  for  many  years  withdrawn  him  from  the 
forum.  He  has,  however,  been  called  upon,  on  various  occasions, 
to  address  large  and  enlightened  audiences,  and  always  with  signal 
success.  His  elocution  is  exceedingly  graceful  and  polished.  He 
is  free  from  the  extravagances  of  American  oratory,  and  furnishes  a 
model  of  strength  without  violence,  and  grace  devoid  of  affectation. 
His  diction  is  fluent,  choice,  and  fervid,  and  his  general  style  bold 
and  effective.  He  is  fortunate  in  possessing  a  voice  singularly  deep 
and  clear,  and  which  enables  him,  without  apparent  effort,  to  give 
the  greatest  effect  to  all  that  he  utters. 

The  present  is  not  the  period  when  Mr.  BIDDLE'S  character  can 
be  faithfully  and  aptly  drawn ;  there  are,  however,  prominent  fea- 
tures in  his  moral  portrait  recognised  by  all,  and  in  which  it  is  im- 
possible to  be  mistaken.  The  first  of  these  is  that  high  order  of 
courage,  which,  after  having  marked  out  a  course,  never  refers  to  con- 
sequences. The  second  is  perhaps  that  elastic  activity  which  is  never 
for  a  moment  sluggish  or  depressed — an  activity  not  variable,  fitful, 
or  feverish,  but  which  is  the  result  of  inborn  strength,  and  is  steady 
and  unflagging.  Let  us  add  to  these  moral  traits  a  composure  and 
self-possession,  which,  under  all  circumstances,  enable  him  to  exert 
every  faculty  and  direct  every  resource,  at  the  right  time  and  in  the 
right  way.  We  have  been  assured  that,  throughout  his  long  con- 
nexion with  the  bank,  the  exciting  occurrences  which  transpired 
never  betrayed  him  into  an  exhibition  of  weakness  or  irritation. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Yet  no  one  deems  him  passionless ;  excitement,  with  him,  instead 
of  exhausting  itself  in  feeble  outbursts,  is  turned  into  action  and  gives 
energy  and  power  to  the  machinery  of  the  mind.  These  moral 
qualities,  united  to  an  intellect  of  the  highest  order,  impart  a  force 
of  character  that  has  never  failed  in  the  attainment  of  its  results. 
His  character  is  formed  for  great  trusts  and  great  emergencies. 
Like  Napoleon,  he  borrows  no  resources  ;  he  makes  systems  for  him- 
self, and  finds  for  the  greatest  difficulty  a  greater  energy  to  overcome 
it.  The  ruling  feature  of  his  intellect  is  pervading,  comprehensive, 
vigorous  common  sense ;  a  sagacity,  that  while  it  expands  to  the 
grandest  outlines,  is  not  too  ponderous  to  grasp  the  smallest  details; 
a  power  that  disenchants  and  simplifies  the  most  abstruse  science, 
and  throws  the  glare  of  day  upon  the  recesses  of  a  subject,  where 
others  grope  and  stagger,  as  if  stricken  with  mental  blindness.  It 
is  this  faculty  that  has  enabled  him,  for  so  many  years,  to  control 
with  salutary  sway  the  "vasty  deep"  of  finance.  In  every  depart- 
ment of  intellectual  exertion  he  has  the  advantage  of  rare  and  ac- 
complished scholarship.  He  has  been,  throughout  his  career,  even 
when  most  burthened  with  business,  a  close  student,  and  has  pre- 
served, amid  all  the  trials  of  a  working-day  life,  his  early  fondness 
for  literature  and  the  fine  arts.  His  manners  are  kind  and  polished, 
and  his  conversation  unaffected  and  eloquent.  His  elegant  taste  and 
accomplished  scholarship  have  made  him  the  centre  and  ornament 
of  the  literary  circles  of  the  city  of  his  birth;  and  the  fervid  kindness 
of  his  nature  has  secured  the  sincere  and  affectionate  friendship  of 
those  whose  admiration  was  first  excited  by  the  elegance  of  his  wit 
and  the  charms  of  his  social  intercourse.  Mr.  BIDDLE  is  somewhat 
above  the  middle  stature;  his  forehead  is  remarkably  high  and 
ample,  and  his  eyes  are  blue  and  piercing.  His  countenance  does 
not  wear  the  ascetic  cast  generally  contracted  by  long-continued  and 
severe  mental  exertion,  but  is  frank  and  cheerful,  expressive  of 
amiable  and  generous  feeling.  Many  busts  and  paintings  of  Mr. 
BIDDLE  have  been  taken  of  various  degrees  of  merit.  The  portrait 
of  Rembrandt  Peale,  from  which  is  taken  the  engraving  prefixed  to 
this  notice,  is  preferred:  we  would  consider  ourselves  fortunate 
could  we  portray  with  equal  fidelity  the  features  of  his  mind. 

Are  utinam  mores  animumque  effingere  posset; 
Pulchrior  in  terris  nulla  tabella  foret. 

Mr.  BIDDLE  was  married  in  1811,  and  has  six  children.     In  the 
domestic  and  social  relations  of  life  he  is  highly  felicitous.     No  one 


NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

has  more  friends,  or  friends  more  devoted  to  him.  We  may  add 
that  no  one  has  encountered  more  enmity.  There  are  times  when 
even  the  virtues  of  a  man  provoke  hostility,  as  Tacitus  has  expressed 
it,  nee  minus  periculum  ex  magnet  fama,  quam  ex  mala :  few 
have  realized  this  danger  more  than  he,  none  have  more  calmly  dis- 
regarded it.  Though  bitterly  assailed,  he  has  left  his  conduct  to 
vindicate  itself.  He  has  never  stooped  to  conciliate  power  or 
soften  opposition.  His  rectitude  is  based  upon  principle  not  opinion, 
and  seeks  his  own  praise  careless  of  that  of  others ;  his  patriotism 
does  not  throb  only  in  the  sunshine  of  the  hour — its  aspirations  are 
for  posterity,  not  party;  for  ages,  not  years. 

"  Stand  free  and  fast, 

And  judge  him  by  no  more  than  what  you  know 
Ingenuously,  and  by  the  right  laid  line 
Of  truth,  he  truly  will  all  styles  deserve 
Of  wise,  just,  good;  a  man  botfy  soul  and  nerve" 

R.  T.  C. 


. 


WILLIAM  H.   CKAWFORD. 

WILLIAM  HARRIS  CRAWFORD  was  born  in  Nelson  County,  Vir- 
ginia, 24th  February,  1772.  In  1779,  his  father,  Joel  Crawford,  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Stevens'  Creek,  Edgefield  District,  South 
Carolina,  about  thirty  miles  above  Augusta.  The  next  winter,  the 
British  troops  having  taken  Savannah  and  Augusta,  Mr.  Crawford 
returned  north  over  Broad  River,  into  Chester  District.  Soon  after 
South  Carolina  was  overrun  by  the  British,  he  was  seized  and  thrown 
into  Camden  jail  as  a  rebel.  Here  he  remained  the  greater  part  of  the 
summer,  and  was  released  on  some  of  his  neighbors  becoming  his  se- 
curity. In  1783  he  removed  into  Georgia,  and  settled  on  Kiokee 
Creek,  Columbia  County. 

The  disturbances  of  the  country  had  an  unfavorable  influence  upon 
its  schools.  The  advantages  for  educating  its  youth  were  at  best 
very  meagre.  Young  CRAWFORD  went  to  school  a  few  months  while 
his  parents  resided  in  South  Carolina,  and  discovered  such  capacity 
for  receiving  instruction,  as  determined  his  father,  when  permanently 
settled  in  Georgia,  to  send  him  to  Scotland,  and  give  him  a  thorough 
education.  He  made  arrangements  with  a  Scotch  merchant  in  Au- 
gusta, for  supplying  his  son  with  funds  during  his  residence  at  the 
University ;  but  the  merchant,  in  a  fit  of  derangement,  having  at- 
tempted to  cut  his  own  throat,  Mr.  Crawford  thought  it  unsafe  to  en- 
trust him  with  funds  and  with  the  superintendence  of  his  son.  Hav- 
ing abandoned  the  idea  of  sending  him  abroad,  he  put  him  to  school 
in  the  country,  and  gave  him  the  best  English  education  he  could,  and 
in  1788  set  him  to  teaching  school.  Before  this  year  expired,  his 
father  died,  and  the  disease  then  prevalent  in  the  country  (probably 
small-pox)  swept  away  most  of  the  valuable  servants  of  the  family, 
and  reduced  them  to  very  narrow  circumstances.  To  aid  his  mother 
in  supporting  a  large  and  almost  helpless  family,  young  CRAWFORD 
taught  school,  more  or  less,  for  three  or  four  years.  In  1794  the  Re- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

verend  Dr.  Waddel  opened  a  Latin  school  in  Columbia,  called  Car- 
mel  Academy-  The  desire  of  obtaining  a  classical  education,  which 
had  been  lost  sight  of  since  his  father's  death,  now  revived,  and  Mr. 
CRAWFORD  entered  the  Academy,  and  remained  in  it  two  years,  study- 
ing the  usual  Latin  and  Greek  authors,  philosophy,  and  the  French 
language.  The  last  year  he  was  usher  in  the  school,  and  received 
for  his  services  one  third  of  the  tuition  money.  In  this  situation  he 
remained  until  April  1796,  and  made  the  best  possible  use  of  his  op- 
portunities. In  that  month,  this  obscure  usher,  not  dreaming  of  poli- 
tics, but  still  anxious  to  increase  his  stock  of  useful  learning,  with  a 
hope  finally  to  obtain  a  profession,  bent  his  way  to  Augusta,  there  to 
fling  himself  in  the  way  of  fortune's  gambols,  and  to  receive  whatever 
the  sportings  of  her  fancy  might  turn  up  to  an  unknown  but  bold 
adventurer.  His  means  were,  however,  perfectly  inadequate  to  the 
objects  he  had  in  view.  He  obtained  a  situation  in  the  Richmond 
Academy,  where  he  remained  in  the  double  character  of  student  and 
instructor  until  the  year  1798,  when  he  was  appointed  Rector  of  that 
institution.  During  his  residence  in  Augusta  he  studied  law,  to  the 
practice  of  which  he  was  admitted  in  the  course  of  that  year.  He 
was  a  self-taught  law  scholar.  It  may  be  remarked,  that  while  he  was 
engaged  in  his  scholastic  and  professional  studies,  he  supported  a  cha- 
racter for  the  most  exemplary  morality  and  prudence,  and  was  a  most 
indefatigable,  close,  and  laborious  student. 

Mr.  CRAWFORD  was  a  man  considerably  above  ordinary  height, 
large,  muscular,  and  well-proportioned.  His  head  and  face  were  re- 
markably striking,  and  impressed  the  beholder  at  once  with  the  belief 
that  he  must  possess  more  than  ordinary  powers  of  intellect.  His 
complexion  was  fair,  and,  until  late  in  life,  ruddy.  His  features  were 
strong  and  regular.  When  at  rest,  they  indicated  great  firmness  and 
perseverance  of  character.  When  he  smiled,  an  engaging  benignity 
overspread  his  whole  countenance.  His  eyes,  before  they  were  af- 
fected by  his  protracted  illness  at  Washington,  were  clear  blue,  mild; 
though  radiant.  Those  who  never  made  his  acquaintance  until  his 
return  to  Georgia,  will  be  apt  to  consider  this  description  of  his  per- 
son overwrought,  while  those  who  knew  him  in  the  prime  of  life  will 
hardly  think  it  does  him  justice.  His  deportment  was  affable,  his  step 
firm,  his  gait  erect  and  manly,  but  not  ostentatious,  indicating  courage 
and  independence. 

His  manners,  though  free  from  stiffness  and  hauteur,  were  never 
very  graceful.  They  were  such,  however,  as  to  make  all  about  him 
feel  easy.  There  was  in  him  a  certain  consciousness  of  superior  mind. 


WILLIAM  H.  CRAWFORD. 

as  has  been  said  of  another,  which  could  not  always  be  repressed  nor 
withdrawn  from  observation.  He  was  at  all  times  a  man  of  decided 
feelings — warm  in  his  attachments,  and  vehement  in  his  resentments. 
He  was  prompt  to  repel  insults,  and  equally  prompt  to  forgive  when- 
ever an  appeal  was  made  to  his  clemency.  No  personal  labor  was 
too  great  to  be  endured,  if  by  it  he  could  elevate  modest  merit  from 
poverty  to  comfort,  or  advance  the  interests  and  honor  of  his  friends. 
No  child  of  distress  ever  made  an  unsuccessful  appeal  to  his  charity. 
His  rule  was  to  give  something  in  every  case,  but  to  regulate  the 
amount  by  the  necessities  which  urged  the  call. 

Few  men  have  felt  such  perfect  contempt  for  show  and  display 
as  Mr.  CRAWFORD.  His  dress  was  always  plain,  and  never  at  all  in 
his  way.  Indeed,  he  gave  himself  no  care  whatever  about  what  he 
should  wear.  At  the  age  of  thirty-two,  after  a  seven  years'  engage- 
ment, which  had  been  suspended  by  his  poverty,  he  married  Susannah 
Girardin,  of  Augusta,  who  still  survives,  and  who  resides  at  Woodlawn. 
his  country-seat,  where  he  settled  in  1804,  and  where  he  resided  from 
that  period  to  the  day  of  his  death,  except  when  engaged  in  the  public 
service.  After  marriage,  he  referred  the  subject  of  dress  to  Mrs.  Craw- 
ford, who  was  as  plain  and  unaffected  in  her  taste  as  himself.  Though 
his  situation  in  public  life  often  required  him,  out  of  respect  to  the  cus- 
toms of  the  country,  and  to  avoid  the  charge  of  eccentricity,  to  keep  up 
a  style  and  equipage  of  unwonted  splendor,  it  was  manifest  that  his  heart 
was  not  in  it ;  nor  does  any  one,  at  all  acquainted  with  the  man,  believe 
for  a  moment,  that  his  opposition  to  these  things  proceeded  from  penu- 
riousness,  or  any  kindred  sentiment.  He  was  a  man  of  unquestioned 
liberality.  He  was  seldom  known  to  ask  the  price  of  any  thing,  and 
never  considered  any  thing  dear  that  added  to  the  pleasure  and  com- 
fort of  himself  or  family.  At  an  early  age  he  imbibed  the  sentiment, 
that  dandyism  and  intellectuality  were  antagonistic  traits  of  character ; 
and  he  was  heard  to  say,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  that  amidst  an 
extensive  acquaintance  with  men  of  distinction  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe,  he  had  seen  but  two  dandies  who  were  men  of  genius.  Mo- 
dest virtue,  sound  sense,  and  stern  integrity  were  the  surest  passports 
to  his  esteem.  With  these,  a  poor  man  was  a  prince  in  his  affections  ; 
without  them,  a  prince  was  the  poorest  of  all  beings. 

Mr.  CRAWFORD'S  house  has  often  been  styled  "Liberty  Hall"  by 
those  familiar  with  the  unrestrained  mirthfulness,  hilarity,  and  social 
glee  which  marked  his  fireside  ;  and  the  perfect  freedom  with  which 
every  child,  from  the  eldest  to  the  youngest,  expressed  his  or  her 
opinion  upon  the  topics  suggested  by  the  moment,  whether  those  to 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

pics  referred  to  men  or  measures.  His  children  were  always  encou- 
raged to  act  out  their  respective  characters  precisely  as  they  were,  and 
the  actions  and  sentiments  of  each  were  always  a  fair  subject  ot 
commendation,  or  good-humored  ridicule  by  the  rest.  They  criticised 
the  opinions  and  conduct  of  the  father,  with  the  same  freedom  as  those 
of  each  other,  and  he  acknowledged  his  errors  or  argued  his  defence 
with  the  same  kind  spirit  and  good  temper  as  distinguished  his  course 
towards  them  in  every  other  case.  The  family  government  was  one 
of  the  best  specimens  of  democracy  the  world  has  ever  seen.  There 
was  nothing  like  faction  in  the  establishment.  According  to  the 
last  census,  before  marriage  and  emigration  commenced,  the  po- 
pulation was  ten,  consisting  of  father  and  mother  and  eight  children, 
of  whom  five  are  sons  and  three  daughters.  Suffrage  on  all  ques- 
tions was  universal,  extending  to  male  and  female.  Freedom  of 
speech  and  equal  rights  were  felt  and  acknowledged  to  be  the  birth- 
right of  each.  Knowledge  was  a  common  stock,  to  which  each  felt 
a  peculiar  pleasure  in  contributing  according  as  opportunity  enabled 
him.  When  afflictions  or  misfortunes  came,  each  bore  a  share  in  the 
common  burden.  When  health  and  prosperity  returned,  each  became 
emulous  of  heightening  the  common  joy.  Chess,  drafts,  and  other 
games,  involving  calculation  and  judgment,  and  plays  which  called  for 
rapid  thought,  quick  perception,  and  ready  answers,  formed  sources  of 
in-door  amusements.  Those  requiring  vigor  of  nerve  and  agility 
of  muscle  were  performed  upon  the  green.  In  all  these  sports  upon 
the  green  and  in  the  house,  Mr.  CRAWFORD  was,  even  down  to  his 
last  days,  the  companion  of  his  children  ;  delighting  them  often  by 
taking  part  himself.  Though  the  disease  of  which  he  suffered  so 
much  while  at  Washington  deprived  him  of  his  activity,  his  zeal  for 
the  gratification  of  his  children,  and  his  delight  in  contributing  all 
he  could  to  their  happiness,  knew  no  abatement.  As  a  husband,  he 
was  kind,  affectionate,  and  devoted.  He  was  never  ostentatious  in  his 
attachments  to  any  one,  always  evincing  his  regard  more  by  substan- 
tial beneficence  than  by  words.  No  parent  was  ever  better  beloved 
of  his  children  than  he.  His  home  instructions  were  of  incalculable 
advantage  to  them.  He  never  contented  himself  with  merely  sending 
them  to  schools  of  highest  and  best  repute,  but  made  a  personal  ex- 
amination of  them  almost  every  day,  that  he  might  see  and  know 
for  himself  how  they  progressed  and  how  they  were  taught.  He  was 
in  the  habit  of  drawing  them  around  him  in  a  class,  and  requiring 
them  to  read  with  him.  On  these  occasions,  the  Bible  was  his  chief 
class-book,  and  Job  and  Psalms  his  favorite  portions.  The  attention 


WILLIAM  H.  CRAWFORD. 

and  instructions  here  mentioned  were  faithfully  accorded  during  the 
whole  time  of  his  cabinet  service  at  Washington,  except  during  his 
extreme  illness.  After  his  return  from  Georgia,  and  his  partial  reco- 
very from  his  disease,  he  still  kept  up  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  progress  of  his  younger  children,  and  the  manner  of  their  instruc- 
tion at  school ;  though  his  general  debility  prevented  his  being  so 
indefatigable  as  he  had  been.  At  no  time  of  his  life  did  he  ever  lose 
sight  of  the  importance  of  storing  the  minds  of  his  children  with  vir- 
tuous principles.  The  strict  observance  of  truth,  the  maintenance  of 
honor,  generosity,  and  integrity  of  character,  he  never  ceased  to  enjoin 
upon  them  as  indispensable  to  respectability  and  happiness. 

It  is  not  within  the  knowledge  of  any  of  his  children  that  he  was 
ever  guilty  of  profane  swearing.  He  never  made  a  profession  of  re- 
ligion, but  was  a  decided  believer  in  Christianity,  a.  life  member  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  a  Vice-President  of  the  American  Coloniza- 
tion Society,  and  a  regular  contributor  to  the  support  of  the  gospel. 

Though  Mr.  CRAWFORD'S  strides  to  political  preferment  were  long 
and  unusually  rapid,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  course  of  this  sketch,  they 
were  not  free  from  those  difficulties  and  embarrassments  which 
have  often  beset  the  way  of  those  who  have  aspired  to  places  of 
high  honor  and  distinction.  In  all  ages  of  the  world,  men  of  low- 
minds  and  corrupt  hearts  have  so  far  controlled  popular  sentiment,  as 
to  infuse  into  it  principles,  which,  when  subjected  to  the  tests  of  en- 
lightened wisdom,  sound  ethics,  and  the  highest  and  best  dictates  of 
refined  humanity,  must,  without  hesitation,  be  pronounced  erroneous. 
The  history  of  man  evinces  that  no  order  of  intelligence  on  earth 
has,  at  all  times  hitherto,  been  sufficiently  strong,  successfully  to  op- 
pose those  practices  which  have  been  the  legitimate  result  of  such 
principles.  Thus  much  must  be  conceded  of  those  mortal  conflicts 
which  spring  from  the  law  of  honor,  as  exhibited  in  the  opinions,  and 
enforced  by  the  examples,  of  some  of  the  most  illustrious  statesmen 
and  patriots  of  this  country  and  Europe.  That  the  subject  of  this 
notice  was.  in  the  commencement  of  his  career,  himself  imbued 
with  this-  philosophy,  (this  false  philosophy,)  and  that  he  gave  a  prac- 
tical illustration  of  his  faith  upon  two  occasions,  it  were  useless  to 
deny  or  conceal.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  he  ever  afterwards 
looked  upon  this  part  of  his  history  with  deep  and  poignant  regret. 
The  only  affair*  of  this  kind,  with  which  he  was  afterwards  connect- 
ed, was  one  not  of  his  own,  and  in  which  he  consented  to  act  as  se- 

*  Eppcs  and  Randolph. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

cond,  only  that  he  might  restore  peace  between  the  parties.  This  he 
did  most  effectually,  and  by  his  course  in  the  matter  secured  the 
abiding  confidence  of  all  concerned. 

In  the  spring  of  1799,  Mr.  CRAWFORD  removed  into  Oglethorpe 
County  ;  and  without  money  or  patron  commenced  the  practice  of  law, 
in  what  was  then  called  the  Western,  now  the  Northern  Circuit  of 
Georgia.  Such  were  his  perseverance,  industry,  and  talents,  that  he 
soon  attracted  the  notice  of  that  distinguished  statesman  and  sound 
jurist,  Peter  Early,  then  at  the  head  of  his  profession  in  the  Up  Coun- 
try, and  to  whom  he  became  warm  and  ardently  attached.  His  great 
professional  zeal,  that  always  made  his  client's  cause  his  own,  his  un- 
remitted  attention  to  business,  his  punctuality  and  promptness  in  its 
despatch,  his  undisguised  frankness  and  official  sincerity,  disdaining  the 
little  artifices  arid  over-reaching  craft  of  the  profession,  combined  with 
a  dignity  which,  springing  from  self-respect  alone,  was  entirely  un- 
mingled  with  affectation,  his  honesty  and  irreproachable  moral  charac- 
ter, accompanied  with  manners  the  most  plain,  simple,  and  accessible, 
secured  for  him  a  public  and  private  reputation  seldom  equalled,  and 
never  surpassed  in  any  country.  His  most  prominent  virtue  was  a 
bold  and  lofty  ingenuousness  of  mind ;  in  any  intercourse  whatever 
with  him  it  was  his  most  striking  trait,  and  yet  it  was  far  from  being 
studied.  He  never  engaged,  by  a  smooth  and  flexible  manner,  either 
in  the  utterance  of  his  sentiments  or  the  tendency  of  his  address  :  in 
the  first  he  was  polite  and  unassuming,  though  confident  and  decided ; 
in  the  latter  he  was  easy  without  ostentation,  and  commanding  with- 
out arrogance.  In  the  court-house,  as  well  as  at  home,  the  blind  ve- 
neration and  respectful  awe,  by  no  means  inconsiderable,  which  were 
usually  paid  to  the  graces  and  proud  carriage  of  person,  the  fascinat- 
ing richness  and  gaiety  of  apparel,  and  the  splendor  of  equipage,  he 
neither  claimed  nor  desired  ;  brought  up  and  educated  altogether  free 
from  such  vain  allurements,  he  never  suffered  his  native  strength  of 
mind  and  unaffected  manly  simplicity  to  yield  in  the  slightest  degree 
to  their  influence.  After  Mr.  Early  went  to  Congress  in  1802,  Mr. 
CRAWFORD  might  fairly  be  said  to  stand  at  the  head  of  the  bar  in  his 
circuit. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  was  courteous  and  liberal.  As  a  speaker,  not  so 
much  distinguished  for  fluency  or  elegance  of  style,  as  clearness  of 
illustration  and  cogency  of  argument.  In  a  conversation  with  the 
writer  during  his  judicial  service,  he  said  he  did  not  remember  to  have 
lost  a  case  at  the  bar  in  which  he  had  had  the  concluding  speech.  As  a 
pleader,  he  was  exceedingly  neat  and  accurate.  His  hand-writing 


WILLIAM  H.  CRAWFORD. 

was  large,  plain,  elegant,  and  free.  He  left  nothing  to  be  supplied  by 
the  clerk  ;  and  his  opposing  counsel  might  see  at  the  first  glance  the 
complaint  or  defence  of  his  client  set  forth  with  a  convincing  clear- 
ness that  created  a  feeling  in  advance  that  it  must  be  just.  His 
speeches  were  always  short,  rarely  exceeding  half  an  hour  in  any  case. 
He  had  the  faculty  of  seizing  at  once  upon  all  the  strong  points  of  a 
case,  and  presenting  each  in  its  natural  order  with  a  simplicity,  brevi- 
ty, perspicuity  and  force,  which  told  with  unfailing  effect  upon  the 
minds  of  the  court  and  jury.  He  was  always  armed  with  such  discrimi- 
nation as  enabled  him  to  detect  the  least  flaw  in  the  argument  of  his 
adversary,  and  no  fallacy  was  allowed  to  pass  unexposed.  No  inci- 
dent connected  with  the  testimony,  which  could  be  wielded  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  his  client  or  against  his  opponent,  ever  escaped  the  tena- 
city of  his  memory.  His  social  intercourse  with  the  members  of  the 
profession,  whom  he  considered  worthy  of  his  respect,  was  unre- 
strained ;  and  many  and  loud  were  the  roars  of  laughter  that  suc- 
ceeded his  well-told  anecdotes.  His  presence  was  an  effectual  anti- 
dote to  dulness  ;  his  mirth  was  irresistible.  Stupid,  indeed,  was  the 
man  who  could  not  yield  some  sparks  of  intellect  when  brought  into 
social  intercourse  with  him.  Although  he  left,  society  largely  in 
arrears  to  him  on  the  score  of  contribution  to  social  enjoyment,  no 
man  was  easier  pleased,  none  felt  a  livelier  sympathy  in  the  interests 
and  feelings  of  others. 

Oglethorpe  called  him  four  years  to  represent  her  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  during  that  period  she  found  in  him  a  faithful  respresenta- 
tive.  Many  laws,  now  of  force  in  the  State,  bear  the  impress  of  his 
wisdom  as  a  legislator.  It  was  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
Georgia  that  he  laid  the  foundation  for  that  extensive  and  permanent 
popularity  as  a  politician  which  he  ever  afterwards  enjoyed.  In  1807 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  to  supply  the  va- 
cancy occasioned  by  the  death  of  the  great,  and  good,  and  highly- 
gifted  Abraham  Baldwin  ;  and  re-elected  in  1811  without  opposition. 
On  entering  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  CRAWFORD  came 
in  immediate  collision  with  that  veteran  debater,  the  Honorable  William 
B.  Giles  of  Virginia.  The  very  creditable  manner  in  which  he  sustain- 
ed himself  in  that  contest,  won  for  him,  in  the  outset,  a  high  reputa- 
tion for  talents,  which  he  retained  as  long  as  he  continued  to  be  a 
member  of  that  body.  Most  of  those  who  were  numbered  in  the  re- 
publican ranks  in  1810  and  later,  even  up  to  1812,  were  somewhat 
distrustful  of  the  navy  as  a  means  of  national  defence,  and  opposed 
its  considerable  enlargement.  A  very  current  sentiment  of  those 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

days  was,  that  the  navy  was  but  loo  well  calculated  to  embroil  us  with 
other  nations.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  reduction  of  the  navy 
was  a  prominent  feature  in  Mr.  Jefferson's  administration.  It  must  be 
confessed  that  Mr.  CRAWFORD  participated  in  this  opinion  to  a  consi- 
derable extent.  But,  in  common  with  most  of  his  political  friends  and 
associates,  its  brilliant  achievements  during  the  last  war,  won  him  over 
to  a  more  favorable  opinion  of  that  department  of  the  public  service. 
In  fact,  he  became  a  strong  advocate  of  the  navy.  After  the  peace, 
in  1815,  one  of  the  first  measures  adopted,  was  an  act  of  Congress 
for  the  increase  of  the  navy,  and  an  annual  appropriation  of  $1,000,000 
to  that  object.  In  this  measure  nine  tenths  of  both  houses  concurred, 
and  the  wisdom  and  propriety  of  it  received  Mr.  CRAWFORD'S  hearty 
acquiescence.  Shortly  after,  in  one  of  his  reports,  he  styles  the  navy 
"an  essential  means  of  national  defence."  In  all  questions  of  appro- 
priation he  was  the  uncompromising  advocate  of  the  rule,  that  the 
objects  and  places  of  expenditure  should  be  distinct  and  specific,  so 
as  to  leave  as  little  as  possible  to  executive  discretion.  He  was  a 
warm  and  decided  advocate  for  an  early  resort  to  arms,  to  redress  the 
injuries  and  indignities  heaped  upon  this  country  by  Great  Britain, 
and  which  laid  the  foundation  for  the  last  war.  This  is  manifest 
from  his  votes  in  the  Senate  upon  every  question  leading  to  a  decla- 
ration of  war  throughout  the  years  1811  and  1812. 

He  voted  for  the  bill  authorizing  fifty  thousand  volunteers  to  be  re- 
ceived by  the  President — for  increasing  the  army  twenty-five  thousand 
— for  an  act  concerning  the  navy,  fitting  out  certain  frigates :  and  was 
friendly  to  the  passage  of  an  act  for  increasing  the  navy,  passed  2d 
January  1813,  by  which  the  building  of  four  seventy-fours  and  six 
forty-four  gun  frigates  was  authorized.  His  vote  is  to  be  found  re- 
corded for  the  passage  of  the  law  by  which  war  was  declared,  and 
uniformly  against  every  proposition  for  its  modification.  He  was  then 
President,  pro  tempore,  of  the  Senate  ;  and  had  been  elevated  to  that 
distinguished  station  during  the  session  of  Congress  in  which  the  war 
was  declared,  and  at  a  time  when  no  man  of  equivocal  political 
opinions,  or  doubtful  sentiments,  on  the  question  of  peace  or  war, 
would  have  been,  by  a  decidedly  republican  Senate,  placed  in  that  dig- 
nified office.  This  will  readily  account  for  Mr.  CRAWFORD'S  not 
having  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  a  declaration  of  war  ;  he  was  the 
presiding  officer  of  the  Senate,  and  had  been  so  more  than  four 
months  ;  and  by  the  peculiar  rule  of  that  body  could  not,  without  leav- 
ing the  station  to  which  he  had  been  called,  participate  in  debate. 

The  embargo,  and  the  bank,  formed  two  other  questions  of  grave 


WILLIAM  H.  CRAWFORD. 

import  and  high  national  excitement  during  his  senatorial  career. 
His  course  upon  both  was  prompt,  fearless,  and  independent.  The 
former  he  opposed  in  the  teeth  of  a  popular  and  powerful  administra- 
tion ;  to  the  latter  he  gave  a  vigorous  support,  though  unqualified 
opposition  to  it  upon  constitutional  grounds  was  at  that  day,  as  it  still 
is,  one  of  the  tests  of  republican  discipleship.  It  is  known,  however, 
to  his  intimate  friends,  that  the  careful  perusal  of  the  secret  debates  of 
the  convention  which  framed  the  constitution,  and  the  debates  upon 
the  adoption  of  that  instrument  by  the  States,  produced  a  change  in 
his  opinion  upon  the  constitutionality  of  the  bank. 

In  1813,  after  declining  the  office  of  Secretary  of  War,  tendered 
him  by  President  Madison,  he  was  sent  minister  to  the  Court  of  St. 
Cloud. 

The  Argus,  in  which  he  sailed,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Allen, 
entered  the  port  of  L'Orient  the  llth  of  July,  1813,  being  twenty-one 
days  from  New- York. 

What  he  did  during  his  two  years'  residence  at  Paris,  is  already  a 
matter  of  recorded  history.  It  is  enough  to  say,  in  this  place,  that  his 
official  notes  evinced  the  clearest  understanding  of  the  questions  pend- 
ing between  the  two  governments,  and  in  them  the  rights  of  this 
country  are  set  forth  in  the  strongest  and  most  imposing  light,  and 
pressed  upon  the  empire,  and  afterwards  upon  the  crown,  with  a  force 
of  logic,  a  confident  boldness,  and  ceaseless  vigilance,  worthy  of  such  a 
cause.  During  his  stay  at  Paris  he  was  the  confidential  friend  and 
correspondent  of  our  eminently  distinguished  negotiators  for  peace  at 
Ghent. 

Among  the  most  pleasing  incidents  connected  with  his  residence  in 
Paris,  was  the  acquaintance  he  formed  with  the  hero  of  two  hemi- 
spheres, the  illustrious  La  Fayette.  It  would  seem  from  the  letters 
of  this  great  and  good  man,  which  Mr.  CRAWFROD  has  preserved  with 
more  than  his  usual  care,  that  their  acquaintance  ripened  into  the 
strongest  personal  friendship ;  and  that  their  intercourse  was  of  the 
most  confidential  character.  In  these  letters  the  politics  of  France  are 
discussed  with  an  unsuspecting  freedom  on  the  part  of  the  General, 
and  often  with  an  unsparing  severity,  rarely  surpassed  in  the  inter- 
change of  opinions  between  sworn  friends  in  the  freest  government  on 
earth.  To  Mr.  CRAWFORD'S  auspices  he  principally  confided  the  di- 
rection and  management  of  his  patents  to  the  land  granted  him  by 
Congress,  in  Louisiana,  as  a  small  return  for  his  unparalleled  sacri- 
fices in  the  cause  of  freedom,  his  timely  and  efficient  aid,  and  his  bril- 
liant achievements  in  our  revolutionary  struggle.  This  correspond- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

ence  was  sustained  on  both  sides  with  imdiminished  confidence  and 
cordiality  so  long  as  the  General  Jived. 

On  his  return  from  France  in  1815,  he  found  that  he  had  been  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  War,  in  which  department  he  served  but  a  few 
months.  In  October  following  he  was  made  Secretary  of  the  Treasu- 
ry by  Mr.  Madison,  and  was  that  winter  strongly  solicited  to  allow  his 
name  to  be  put  in  nomination  for  the  Presidency.  But  he  promptly 
declined,  saying  that  he  was  young  enough  to  wait,  and  advised  his 
friends  to  nominate  and  support  Mr.  Monroe.  A  caucus  was  held,  in 
which  Mr.  Monroe  received  but  a  small  majority  of  votes  as  the  nomi- 
nee over  Mr.  CRAWFORD,  though  he  had  so  positively  declined  to  al- 
low his  name  to  be  run.  A  number  of  his  strongest  and  most  in- 
timate friends  refused  to  attend  the  caucus,  resolving,  as  he  would  not 
allow  them  to  vote  for  him,  they  would  vote  for  no  one  else.  It  has 
often  been  confidently  asserted  by  a  great  number  of  experienced  politi- 
cians of  that  day,  that  if  he  had  permitted  his  name  to  be  put  in  nomina- 
tion at  that  time,  he  might,  have  been  elected  with  perfect  ease.  This,  of 
course,  was  a  calculation  founded  on  the  signs  of  the  times,  a  conclusion 
which  may  have  been  brought  about  as  much  by  the  propulsive  power 
of  strong  political  attachments,  as  by  calm  and  dispassionate  reasoning 
upon  the  course  of  events  and  the  aspect  of  affairs.  They  knew  that 
Mr.  CRAWFORD  could  have  been  nominated  without  difficulty.  The 
event  showed  the  influence  of  such  a  nomination,  as  it  resulted  in  the 
election  of  Mr.  Monroe. 

In  1817  Mr.  CRAWFORD  was  re-appointed  to  the  office  of  Se- 
cretary of  the  Treasury  by  Mr.  Monroe,  and  continued  in  that  office 
till  1825,  when  he  declined  its  acceptance  under  Mr.  Adams's  admi- 
nistration. Much  of  the  period  during  which  Mr.  CRAWFORD  acted 
as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  times  were  very  doubtful — our  domestic 
relations  embarrassed — pecuniary  difficulties  pressing  upon  the  peo- 
ple— home  and  foreign  commerce  fluctuating — commercial  capital 
deranged — a  public  debt  to  be  managed,  and,  above  all,  a  miserably  de- 
preciated and  ruined  currency  had  to  be  dealt  with.  The  political  es- 
sayists of  those  days  agreed  that  it  required  ceaseless  vigilance  and 
profound  ability  to  preserve  the  national  estate  from  bankruptcy.  But 
the  public  credit  was  never  better  at  any  period  of  the  republic  than 
during  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Treasury.  The  national 
debt  was  faithfully  discharged,  and  the  burdens  of  government  upon 
the  people  were  for  the  most  part  light  and  inconsiderable.  At  the 
time  of  greatest  difficulty  the  estimated  and  actual  receipts  of  the 
Treasury  only  varied  ten  per  cent.,  while  the  estimates  of  his  distin- 


WILLIAM  H.  CRAWFORD. 

guished  predecessors  had  varied  from  seventeen  to  twenty-one  per 
cent.  But  perhaps  the  best  evidence  of  his  fidelity,  zeal,  and  ability  as 
cabinet  officer  in  this  department,  was  the  length  of  time  he  served, 
the  unbounded  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  Mr.  Madison  and  Mr. 
Monroe  during  the  whole  period  of  his  service ;  the  great  interest 
manifested  for  his  retention  in  that  office  by  Mr.  Gal  latin  ;  and  Mr.  J. 
Q.  Adams's  opinion  of  his  merit,  as  evinced  in  his  tendering  him  that 
office  during  his-  administration.  Such  men  are  rarely  deceived  in 
their  estimate  of  character  and  qualifications. 

Many  believe  that  Mr.  CRAWFORD  would  have  been  chosen  Presi- 
dent in  1825,  instead  of  Mr.  Adams,  if  at  the  time  of  his  election  his 
health  had  not  been  so  bad  as  to  induce  the  belief  that  he  could  not 
survive  his  disease.  He  received  an  honorable  vote  from  the  electoral 
colleges.  Whether  his  defeat  were  the  result  of  illness  or  other  cause, 
those  who  know  his  family,  know  that  the  prospect  of  retreating  into 
private  life,  and  of  enjoying  without  interruption  the  society  of  the  fa- 
ther, was  hailed  as  a  joyous  era  in  the  family  history.  If  it  were  assert- 
ed that  Mr.  CRAWFORD  himself  experienced  a  secret  gratification  at  the 
result,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  and  so  far  as  his  happiness  was  in- 
volved, few  would  credit  the  declaration.  And  yet  none  would  doubt 
its  truth  who  knew  the  facts.  All  believed  that  the  atmosphere  of 
Washington  nourished  the  disease  which  was  wasting  his  remaining 
strength  and  threatening  his  life  ;  and  under  such  circumstances,  the 
honors  of  the  presidency  were  as  the  small  dust  of  the  balance  com- 
pared with  the  prospect  of  his  restoration  of  health. 

In  1827,  after  the  death  of  Judge  Dooly,  Mr.  CRAWFORD  was  ap- 
pointed by  Governor  Troup,  without  solicitation,  Judge  of  the  North- 
ern Circuit  of  Georgia.  In  1828  the  Legislature  elected  him  to  the 
same  office  without  opposition.  Three  years  after  he  was  a  candidate 
for  re-election  ;  and  though  he  had  an  opponent  whose  plans  for  his  de- 
feat were  well  concocted,  he  obtained  his  election  on  the  first  balloting. 

One  effect  of  Mr.  CRAWFORD'S  long  and  distressing  illness,  to  which 
allusion  has  been  so  often  made,  was,  that  it  entailed  upon  him  consider- 
ably more  excitability  of  temper  than  he  had  ever  before  manifested.  He 
used  occasionally  to  exhibit  this  new  trait  of  character,  which  was  the 
offspring  of  disease,  while  upon  the  bench.  His  greatest  annoyance  was, 
what  he  called  a  «  silly  speech  ;"  and  though  such  speeches  were  of  rare 
occurrence  at  the  bar  in  his  circuit,  yet  they  did  sometimes  come  out, 
and  when  they  did,  the  Judge's  patience  was  sure  to  suffer.  Neverthe- 
less he  was  considered  able,  upright,  and  impartial.  His  distinguishing 
trait,  as  a  Judge,  was,  that  he  would  not  be  tied  down  to  the  strict 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

technicalities  of  law  when  they  would  work  a  manifest  injustice  to 
either  of  the  parties  litigant.  In  such  a  case  he  would  say, "  Summum 
jus  is  sometimes  summa  injuria.  and  I  must  so  construe  the  rule  as 
to  do  the  parti*  substantial  justice."  Those  of  his  decisions  which 
were  made  with  deliberation,  are  considered  as  high  authority  as  those 
of  any  Judge  the  State  has  ever  had.  The  case  of  the  State  vs.  Tassels 
may  be  mentioned  as  one  of  the  most  important  which  came  before 
him  while  upon  the  bench.  It  did  not  originate  in  his  circuit ;  but  hav- 
ing been  referred  to  all  the  Judges,  he  was  appointed  by  the  rest  to 
write  out  the  opinion.  If  any  should  still  believe  the  slander  that  his 
mind  was  made  imbecile  by  his  illness  at  Washington,  let  him  read  its 
refutation  in  that  decision. 

He  was  in  the  active  discharge  of  the  duties  of  Judge  of  the  North- 
ern Circuit  when  he  died.  He  set  out  on  his  way  to  Court  on  Satur- 
day, and  was  taken  sick  that  night  at  the  house  of  a  friend,  and  died 
at  2  o'clock  the  succeeding  Monday  morning,  being  the  15th  Septem- 
ber, 1834.  His  physicians  were  of  the  opinion  that  his  disease  was  an 
affection  of  the  heart.  He  died  apparently  without  pain  or  fever.  He 
sleeps  at  Woodlawn,  under  a  plain  mound  of  earth,  without  tomb- 
stone, or  inscription  ;  and  no  one  near  him  but  a  little  grandson  of  two 
years  old,  who  had  preceded  him  by  about  fifteen  mouths. 


(**** 


LYDIA  HUNTLEY  SIGOURIME  Y. 

MRS.  SIGOURNEY  was  born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut.  Her  father, 
Mr.  Ezekiel  Huntley,  was  the  owner  of  a  small  property,  which  he 
cultivated  in  that  happy  spirit  of  contentment  with  his  lot,  which  in 
ancient  times  would  have  entitled  him  to  the  appellation  of  a  philoso- 
pher. In  truth  he  was  something  better — a  Christian,  humble  in  his 
wishes,  and  devoted  to  his  duties.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  SIGODRNEY 
was  a  woman  of  strong  powers  of  mind,  and  possessed  of  a  warm  and 
vivid  fancy ;  but  the  secluded  situation  in  which  she  lived,  and  the 
few  opportunities  for  intellectual  improvement  which  she  had  enjoyed, 
made  her  very  diffident  of  her  own  abilities.  However,  superior  talents 
will  in  some  way  be  manifested.  Mrs.  Huntley  evinced  hers  by  the 
sedulous  attention  and  care  which  she  bestowed  on  her  daughter. 
Lydia  was  the  only  child  of  her  parents ;  it  is  not  strange,  therefore, 
that  she  should  have  been  nurtured  with  exceeding  care  and  tender- 
ness ;  but  the  superiority  of  her  mother  was  shown  in  inculcating  early 
and  constantly,  habits  of  order  and  diligence  in  the  pursuitsof  the  young 
mind  she  was  forming ;  and  which  habits  the  distinguished  poetess 
has  since  found  of  inestimable  advantage. 

We  think  the  worldly  condition  in  which  the  early  life  of  Mrs.  SI- 
GOURNEY was  passed,  exceedingly  favorable  to  the  development  of 
her  peculiar  faculties.  Placed  in  that  safe  mediocrity  of  fortune  which 
the  wisest  of  men  invoked  as  a  choice  blessing,  a  state  which  re- 
quires industry  yet  admits  of  hope,  she  was  naturally  inclined  to  pre- 
pare for  the  future,  rather  than  to  seek  enjoyment  in  the  present. 
Even  the  lonelinesss  of  her  brotherless  and  sisterless  lot  probably  in- 
duced the  substitution  of  intellectual  pursuits  for  the  common  sports 
of  childhood.  These  influences,  though  they  chastened  and  elevat- 
ed her  mind,  may  have  somewhat  saddened  her  fancy  ;  and  hence 
the  musings  of  her  genius  almost  always  appear  in  the  pensive  or  mo- 
ralizing form. 

We  feel,  while  reading  her  sweet  effusions,  as  though  the  beauty  of 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

holiness  could  not  rest  so  purely  on  the  bright  living;  brow,  crowned 
with  flowers,  as  on  the  pale  cheek  of  the  dead.  This  predominance 
of  the  grave  and  solemn,  as  regards  the  influence  of  her  poetry  on  the 
world  of  active  life,  is  undoubtedly  a  defect ;  yet  these  sad  and  serious 
strains  are  most  congenial  and  comforting  to  those  hearts  which  mis- 
fortune has  touched  and  softened.  And  such  will  deeply  appreciate 
the  genius  of  the  poetess,  for  truly  sings  a  sister  spirit — 

"Oh !  prophet  heart!  fhy  grief,  thy  power, 

To  all  deep  souls  belong  ; 
The  shadow  in  the  sunny  hour, 

The  wail  in  mirthful  song: 
Their  sight  is  all  too  sadly  clear — 

For  them  a  veil  is  riven  : 
Their  piercing  thoughts  repose  not  here, 
Their  home  is  but  in  heaven." 

We  are  by  no  means  in  favor  of  establishing  precocity  of  intellect 
as  the  standard  of  real  genius,  yet  it  is  certain  that  many  distinguish- 
ed persons  have  been  marked  in  childhood  as  extraordinary ;  the  blos- 
som has  given  forth  the  sweet  odor  which  the  rich  fruit,  like  that  of 
the  Mangostan,  embodies  in  its  delicious  perfection. 

Mrs.  SIGOURNEY  showed  in  childhood  the  promise  of  superior  in- 
tellect, and  that  thirst  for  information,  which  marks  the  great  activity 
of  the  mental  faculties.  She  could  read  the  Scriptures  intelligibly  at 
three  years  old  ;  and  some  of  her  simple  rhymes,  written  at  eight,  give 
evidence  that  her  poetic  powers  were  even  then  developing.  Emula- 
tion was  in  those  days  appealed  to  in  school,  and  the  head  of  the  class 
and  the  highest  premiums  were  almost  always  awarded  her ;  and  ge- 
nerally obtained  from  older  competitors.  In  short,  childhood  and 
youth  were  to  her,  periods  of  unbroken  happiness ;  and  a  strictly  reli- 
gious education  had  an  influence,  no  doubt,  in  producing  early  the 
trust  and  profession  of  piety. 

At  that  time  there  were  few  attempts  at  authorship  among  Ameri- 
cans ;  the  great  fountains  of  periodical  literature,  which  now  threaten 
to  deluge  the  age,  had  not  then  been  broken  up  ;  and  rarely  had  a  female 
writer  trusted  any  evidence  of  her  literary  taste  to  the  press.  But  Miss 
Huntley  ventured  to  send  a  few  articles  which  she  had  written  with  a 
view  to  her  own  private  improvement,  to  the  public  journals.  These 
attracted  the  attention  of  Daniel  Wadsworth,  Esq.,  whose  name  de- 
serves to  be  honorably  recorded  in  this  sketch  of  the  gifted  mind  which 
he  assisted  to  draw  from  the  obscurity,  where,  but  for  his  noble  bene- 
volence, it  might  long  have  remained  "  afar  from  the  untasted  sun- 


LYDIA  HUNTLEY  SIGOURNEY. 

beam."  Mr.  Wadsworth,  who  resided  in  Hartford,  was  a  gentleman 
of  large  fortune,  and  eminently  fitted  by  his  refined  taste,  elevated 
character,  and  station  in  society,  to  become  the  Meecenas  of  a  young 
and  sensitive  writer.  Mrs.  Wadsworth  lent  her  aid  in  the  most  deli- 
cate and  kind  manner  to  encourage  and  sustain  the  youthful  poetess. 
Miss  Huntley  was  received  at  the  splendid  mansion  of  her  good  pa- 
trons, and  treated  with  the  confidence  and  affection  of  a  favored 
daughter.  They  have  their  reward,  those  generous  friends  ;  for  they 
are  now  living  to  enjoy  the  fame  and  success  of  their  protege. 

By  the  persuasions  and  exertions  of  Mr.  Wadsworth,  a  volume, 
called  "  Moral  Pieces — by  Miss  Huntley,"  was  published  in  1815. 
Though  the  "  Pieces,"  generally,  are  not  of  a  high  order  of  literary 
composition,  and  cannot  in  this  respect  be  compared  with  the  later 
publications  of  the  authoress,  yet  the  pure  spirit  of  piety  and  virtue  is 
impressed  on  every  page  ;  and  thus  the  individuality  of  the  character 
of  her  mind  is  preserved,  and  a  beautiful  example  of  consistency  dis- 
played to  the  youthful  and  gifted  of  her  own  sex.  We  see  that 
the  desire  to  do  good,  was  the  prevailing  motive  to  that  cultivation 
of  talent  which  has  made  her  distinguished.  The  fame  of  a  woman 
is  glorious  only  as  it  induces  the  imitation  of  a  pure  and  useful  stand- 
ard of  excellence. 

One  great  advantage  of  the  patronage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wadsworth, 
besides  giving  the  most  liberal  opportunities  for  intellectual  cuHure  and 
embellishment,  was  obtaining  for  Miss  Huntley  a  select  school  of 
young  ladies,  which  she  instructed  for  several  years,  to  the  mutual 
satisfaction  of  herself  and  pupils.  Like  Mrs.  Barbauld,  she  enjoyed 
the  affectionate  society  of  children  ;  like  Hannah  More,  she  made 
the  science  of  education  a  conscientious  study  ;  and  thus  improved 
herself,  as  well  as  those  under  her  care.  A  little  poem,  which  she 
wrote  in  her  school,  entitled  «  Excuse  for  not  fulfilling  an  engage- 
ment," is  a  beautiful  illustration  of  her  moral  sensibility  and  self- 
discipline,  which  had  converted  what  many  young  ladies  would  doubt- 
less consider  an  irksome  task,  into  a  sweet  and  pleasant  duty. 

In  1819  Miss  Huntley  was  married  to  Mr.  Charles  Sigourney  of 
Hartford.  This  gentleman  is  descended  from  an  eminent  and  respect- 
able Huguenot  family,  who  emigrated  to  the  wilderness  of  America 
in  consequence  of  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes.  He  is  a  mer- 
chant of  highly  respectable  standing,  a  leading  character  in  the  Episco- 
pal church,  and  a  zealous  patron  of  the  Episcopal  College  at  Hartford. 
He  possesses  a  mind  of  great  power  and  firmness,  and  a  refined  and 
cultivated  taste. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

In  an  elegant  mansion,  erected  by  him, — whose  romantic  grounds, 
combining,  "  hill,  water-fall,  and  wood,"  were  laid  out  and  embellish- 
ed by  his  fine  taste — Mrs.  SIGOURNEY  indited  those  tender,  touching, 
and  fervent  strains  of  sorrow  and  piety  which  will  cause  her  name 
to  be  held  in  affectionate  remembrance,  while  the  human  heart  can 
be  bowed  by  bereavement,  or  elevated  by  its  trust  in  heaven.  The 
works  which  she  has  published  since  her  marriage,  are  various  in 
number  and  in  style.  In  1822  appeared  "  Traits  of  the  Aborigines 
of  America,  a  Poem,"  written  in  blank  verse ;  and  though  not  of 
equal  interest  to  the  general  reader  with  her  shorter  poems,  ne- 
vertheless possesses  much  merit  for  its  historical  information  and  its 
accurate  details  of  Indian  life  and  habits.  It  is  also  impressed,  like  all 
her  other  works,  with  the  seal  of  philanthropy  and  Christian  feeling. 
Her  next  volume  was  "  Connecticut,  Forty  Years  Since ;"  a  prose 
sketch,  chiefly  traditional,  and  intended  to  illustrate  the  character  and 
manners  of  the  good  old  puritan  settlers  of  the  land  of  steady  habits. 
It  is  not  a  connected  story,  but  contains  some  spirited  descriptions,  and 
a  vein  of  sweet  affections  and  humble  devotion,  which  will  well  repay 
the  search  of  those  readers  who  are  seeking  rather  for  the  gold  of 
healthy  sentiment  than  the  tinsel  of  false  refinement  and  affected  sen- 
sibility. Soon  after  the  appearance  of  this  "  Sketch,"  she  published  her 
first  volume  of  fugitive  poems,  which  at  once  established  her  reputa- 
tion as  a  lyrist  of  no  common  powers.  She  has  since  published  three 
volumes  of  "  Poems"  and  one  of  "  Prose  Sketches,"  all  of  which  have 
been  kindly  reviewed  by  the  public,  and  are  highly  esteemed  among  the 
popular  works  of  the  day.  She  has  also,  in  the  mean  time,  written 
largely  for  the  young.  Entering  into  this  department  of  literature  with 
all  the  zeal  of  her  warm  heart  and  fertile  mind,  she  has  furnished 
the  juvenile  library  with  many  choice  gems.  The  largest  of  this 
series,  "  Letters  to  Young  Ladies,"  is  a  work  which  deserves  its 
place  in  the  family  library,  as  well  as  on  the  toilet  of  the  youthful  fe- 
male of  every  class.  It  is  a  familiar  exposition  of  the  common  duties 
of  woman's  life  ;  and  illustrates,  in  simple  details  but  with  great  force 
of  moral  reasoning,  the  necessity  of  instructing  our  daughters  in  every 
household  art  and  accomplishment ;  while  at  the  same  time  the  au- 
thoress has  shown  how  much  of  all  that  is  noblest  and  loveliest,  in  the 
works  of  benevolence  and  the  progressof  improvement,  may  be  wrought 
out  by  the  sex,  strictly  within  their  own  sphere. 

It  is  the  popular  belief  that  an  author  paints  himself  in  his  works  ; 
Byron's  Manfred  was  considered  by  Goethe  as  the  impersonation  oi 
that  poet's  own  feelings  and  even  actions.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 


LYDIA  HUNTLEY  SIGOURNEY. 

bias  of  the  writer's  character  materially  impresses  itself  on  the  ethical 
or  domestic  views  which  he  advances,  because  these  subjects  are  al- 
ways connected  with  human  agents,  and  the  standard  of  comparison 
must  be  found  in  the  author's  experience  or  sentiments.  From  va- 
rious reasons  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  Mrs.  SIGOURNEY  has,  in 
these  unpretending  "  Letters,"  &c.  sketched  her  own  manner  of  being. 
No  one  could  describe  so  happily  the  many  ready  ways  of  doing  good, 
who  had  not  practised  them  ;  or  paint  so  gracefully  those  little  feminine 
employments  which  help  to  make  home  the  abode  of  contentment  and 
comfort,  if  she  did  not  excel  in  their  performance.  The  following 
description  of  knitting^  which  occurs  in  the  chapter  on  "Domestic 
Employments,"  will  explain  what  we  mean : — 

"  Knitting  is  a  quiet  employment,  favorable  to  reflection,  and,  though 
somewhat  obsolete,  not  unallied  to  economy.  It  furnishes  a  ready  ve- 
hicle of  charity  to  the  poor,  and  most  appropriate  during  the  season  of 
winter.  The  timely  gift  of  a  pair  of  coarse  stockings  has  often  relieved 
the  sufferings  and  protected  the  health  of  many  an  ill-clad  and  shi- 
vering child.  It  seems  to  be  well  adapted  to  save  those  fragments  of 
time  which  might  otherwise  be  lost.  Mrs.  Hannah  More,  whose  ex- 
ample imparts  dignity  and  even  sacredness  to  common  things,  was 
partial  throughout  her  whole  life  to  this  simple  employment." 

Thus  writes  Mrs.  SIGOURNEY  ;  and  we  fancy,  that  were  her  enthu- 
siastic admirers  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  visit  the  accomplished  poetess, 
they  would  be  far  more  likely  to  find  her  with  knitting  needles  in 
hand  than  with  pen  or  pencil ;  and  that,  instead  of  being  seated  at  her 
writing-desk,  she  would  be  found  "  on  hospitable  thoughts  intent,"  su- 
perintending the  affairs  of  her  household  ;  or  in  that  dearest  of  all  em- 
ployments to  a  good  mother's  heart,  instructing  and  tending  her  young 
children.  She  has  two,  a  daughter  and  son,  to  whom  she  performs 
the  part  of  instructress  as  well  as  mother  ;  exhibiting  in  her  maternal 
example  those  virtues  which  would  have  raised  a  Roman  matron  to 
distinguished  honor  in  the  State.  We  dwell  on  these  private  excel- 
lences of  our  gifted  countrywoman  with  peculiar  pleasure,  because 
they  prove  that  the  display  of  genius  is  not  incompatible  with  the  con- 
stant exercise  of  those  household  duties,  which  no  woman  can  neglect 
without  injuring  her  own  reputation,  and  the  happiness  of  those  with 
whom  she  is  connected.  There  are  two  poems  in  her  works,  "  Birth- 
day verses  to  a  Little  Girl,"  addressed  to  her  daughter  on  her  sixth 
birth-day,  and  "  The  Second  Birth-day"  of  her  son,  which  are  elo- 
quent of  the  heart's  best  feelings ;  and  so  also  is  that  sweet  poem, 
"  The  Ark  and  Dove." 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

We  come  now  to  speak  of  the  characteristics  of  her  writings.  In 
prose,  as  in  poetry,  she  is  distinguished  for  the  earnestness  and  deli- 
cacy with  which  she  urges  moral  and  religious  truths  constantly  on 
her  readers.  In  prose,  she  manifests  little  warmth  or  sprightliness  of 
imagination,  but  the  zeal  of  doing  good  is  always  apparent.  Judging 
from  what  she  has  written,  we  do  not  think  she  will  ever  be  a  popular 
writer  of  fictitious  works.  She  cannot  vary  her  style  of  expression 
sufficiently  to  hit  off  the  easy  dialogue  or  the  animated  description, 
like  Miss  Sedgwick : — but  as  a  didactic  writer,  Mrs.  SIGOURNEY 
displays  strength  of  reasoning,  a  nice  perception  of  moral  fitness,  and 
the  ready  command  of  choice  and  expressive  words,  which  will 
al  ways  make  her  prose  essays  popular.  She  describes  nature  with  a 
lover's  feeling  of  its  beauties,  and  with  much  delicacy  and  taste. 
Some  of  her  sketches  of  beautiful  scenery  are  very  happy,  though  we 
think  her  talent  for  description  is  much  more  graceful,  and,  as  it  were, 
at  home  in  the  measured  lines  of  her  poetry,  than  in  the  polished 
periods  of  her  best  prose.  Her  genius  brightens  in  the  muses'  smile, 
and  she  can  command  by  that  spell,  as  Prospero  could  by  his  staff,  the 
attendance  of  the  "  delicate  spirit "  of  fancy,  which,  like  Ariel,  brings 

"  Sounds  and  sweet  airs,  that  give  delight,  and  hurt  not ;" 

and  those   "  solemn  breathing  strains "  which  rouse  conscience  to 
its  repentant  work,  or  lift  the  trusting  and  contrite  soul  to  heaven. 

Though  her  own  heart  seems  imbued  with  tendeness  and  love,  yet 
she  almost  invariably  succeeds  best  in  descriptions  of  sublime  and  soli- 
tary scenery.  How  full  of  beauty  is  her  poem  of  the  "  Alpine  Flow- 
ers ;"*  and  yet,  like  the  "  Spirit  of  the  Frozen  Ocean,"  described  by  M. 
G.  Lewis,  it  has  a  loveliness  that  chills  and  awes : — 

" Meek  dwellers  mid  yon  terror-stricken  cliffs! 
With  brows  so  pure  and  incense  breathing  lips, 
Whence  are  ye  ?     Did  some  white-winged  messenger, 
On  Mercy's  mission,  trust  your  timid  gems 
To  the  cold  cradle  of  eternal  snows  ? 
Or,  breathing  on  the  callous  icicles, 
Bid  them  with  tear-drops  nurse  ye? 

Tree  nor  shrub, 

Dare  that  drear  atmosphere — no  polar  pine 
Uprears  a  veteran  front ; — yet  there  ye  stand, 
Leaning  your  cheeks  against  the  thick-ribb'd  ice, 
And  looking  up  with  brilliant  eyes  to  Him 
Who  bids  you  bloom  unblanched  amid  the  waste 
Of  desolation." 

*  See  Volume  of  Poems  published  in  1828. 
e 


LYDIA  HUNTLEY  SIGOURNEY. 

Imbued  with  similar  touches  of  solitary  beauty  with  the  foregoing, 
but  conceived  in  a  bolder  and  more  exalted  strain,  is  "  Niagara  " — 
a  poem  which,  for  grandeur  and  beauty  of  imagery  united,  has  seldom 
been  surpassed  by  any  writer.  The  opening  is  a  most  sublime  adju- 
ration to  that  wonder  of  nature,  and  thrills  the  soul  like  the  voice  of 
the  cataract : 

"  Flow  on  forever,  in  thy  glorious  robe 
Of  terror  and  of  beauty.    Yea,  flow  on 
Unfathomed  and  resistless  !     God  hath  set 
His  rainbow  on  thy  forehead :  and  the  cloud 
Mantled  around  thy  feet.    And  he  doth  give 
Thy  voice  of  thunder  power  to  speak  of  Him 
Eternally — bidding  the  lip  of  man 
Keep  silence ;  and  upon  thy  rocky  altar  pour 
Incense  of  awe-struck  praise. 

"  Oh  God  !  who  can  describe  Niagara ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Butler, 
in  the  agony  of  her  admiration.  We  reply,  that  Mrs.  SIGOURNEY 
has  done  this,  and  worthily  too  ;  and  that  production  is  sufficient  to 
establish  her  fame  as  a  poetess  of  the  first  rank.  It  does  more  and  bet- 
ter for  her  than  this  —it  stamps  her  as  the  devoted  Christian ;  for,  except 
faith  in  the  "  dread  Invisible  "  had  sustained  her  genius,  and  trust  in 
the  Saviour  had  kept  warm  the  fount  of  love  and  sensibility  in  her 
heart,  she  could  not  have  surrounded  a  theme  so  awful,  strange,  and 
lonely,  with  such  images  of  beauty  and  hope.  True  it  is,  that  female 
writers  owe  their  happiest  efforts  to  religious  feeling.  Devotion 
seems  to  endow  them  with  the  martyr's  glowing  fervency  of  spirit. 
In  the  actual  world,  the  path  of  woman  is  very  circumscribed ;  but 
in  that  "  better  land,"  where  pure  beings  dwell,  her  imagination  may 
roam  with  the  freedom  of  an  angel's  wing  : — 

It  has  been  objected  to  Mrs.  SIGOURNEY'S  writings  that  they  con- 
tain too  many  elegiac  poems ;  and  these,  being  generally  written  in 
blank  verse,  impart  a  monotonous  character  to  her  works.  In  the 
preface  to  her  last  volume,  "  Zinzendorf,"  &c.,  she  adverts  to  this 
subject,  and  shields  herself  under  the  authority  of  the  wise  Lord 
Bacon,  that  "  we  shall  find  as  many  hearse-like  harmonies  as  carols 
if  we  listen  to  the  harp  of  David."  She  might  have  urged  a  better 
reason,  namely,  the  promptings  of  her  own  genius.  To  her  tender 
feelings  and  contemplative  mind,  every  knell  that  summons  the 
mourner  to  weep,  awakens  her  sympathy ;  and  the  dirge  flows,  as 
would  her  tears,  to  comfort  the  bereaved  were  she  beside  them.  Nor 
is  the  death-song  of  necessity  gloomy.  Many  of  hers  sound  the  notes 
of  holy  triumph,  and  awake  the  brightest  anticipations  of  felicity — aye, 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

"  Teach  us  of  the  melody  of  heaven." 

She  leaves  not  the  "  trophy  of  death  at  the  tomb ;"  but  shows  us  the 
"Resurrection  and  the  life."  Thus  she  elevates  the  hope  of  the 
Christian,  and  chastens  the  thoughts  of  the  worldly-minded.  This  is 
her  mission,  the  true  purpose  of  her  heaven-endowed  mind ;  for 
the  inspirations  of  genius  are  from  heaven,  and,  when  not  perverted 
by  a  corrupted  will,  rise  as  naturally  upward  as  the  morning  dew  on 
the  flower  is  exhaled  to  the  skies. 

It  is  this  solemn-breathing  muse  which  renders  the  stately  blank 
verse  measure  the  readiest  vehicle  of  her  fancies.  She  has  a  wonder- 
ful command  of  words,  and  the  fetters  of  rhyme  check  the  free  ex- 
pression of  her  thoughts.  She  is  also  endowed  with  a  fine  conception 
of  the  harmonious  and  appropriate  ;  and  hence  the  smooth  flow  of  her 
lines,  and  the  perfect  adaptation  of  the  language  to  the  subject  she  is 
describing.  These  qualities  eminently  fit  her  to  be  the  eulogist  of 
departed  worth ;  and  it  is  truly  wonderful  to  observe,  that,  though 
she  has  written  so  large  a  number  of  elegiac  poems,  yet  she  has,  with 
delicate  taste  and  nice  judgment,  preserved  the  distinctive  lineaments 
of  each  character  she  has  immortalized.  Compare  her  funeral  song 
with  the  celebrated  epitaphs  of  Pope,  and  then  the  wide  and  diversi- 
fied range  of  her  muse,  when  treating  of  that  one  theme,  "  death  and 
the  grave,"  will  be  acknowledged. 

Mrs.  SIGOURNEY  has  often  been  styled  "  the  American  Hemans." 
This  comparison  is  neither  correct  nor  just  to  the  former,  because  it 
conveys  an  idea  of  imitation,  and  leads  those  who  have  not  read  her 
works  to  expect  a  greater  similarity  between  these  two  popular  poets 
than  will,  on  examination,  be  found.  True,  there  is  a  resemblance ; 
for  both  have  poured  out  "  the  fervor,  and  the  trust,  and  the  tender- 
ness "  of  a  woman's  heart ;  and  in  the  volume  of  "  Mrs.  Hemans' 
poetical  works,"  published  by  Mr.  Ashe,  is  one  gem  from  the  mine 
of  our  countrywoman.*  But,  though  beautiful,  it  is  not  of  the  same 
type  and  "  speaking  picture  of  beauty "  with  those  of  the  English 
poetess ;  yet  is  it  worthy  its  shrine  among  her  glowing  and  glorious 
productions.  But  there  need  be  no  comparison  instituted  between 
these  sisters  of  the  lyre,  both  have  excelled  in  their  own  peculiar 
manner ;  and  the  beautiful  tribute  rendered  by  Mrs.  SIGOURNEY  to 
the  memory  of  «  Felicia  Hemans,"  has  entwined  their  names  in  a 
wreath  which  will  never  fade.  Thus  ought  the  good  and  gifted  of 
the  sex  to  appreciate  each  other.  H. 

*  See  "  Death  of  an  Infant,"  page  344. 

8 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

AMONG  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  English  colonies  in  New  England 
was  a  family  by  the  name  of  Adams.  One  of  the  grantees  of  the  char- 
ter of  Charles  the  First  to  the  London  Company  was  named  Thomas 
Adams,  though  it  does  not  appear  that  he  was  of  those  who  emigrated 
with  Governor  Winthrop,  in  1630. 

It  appears  by  the  Governor's  journal,  that  in  1634  there  came  a  con- 
siderable number  of  colonists,  under  the  pastoral  superintendence  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Parker,  in  a  vessel  from  Ipswich,  in  the  county  of 
Essex,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  is  the  small  town  of  Braintree. 

There  was,  it  seems,  after  their  arrival,  some  difficulty  in  deciding 
where  they  should  be  located.  It  was  finally  determined  that  Mount 
Wollaston,  situated  within  the  harbor,  and  distant  about  nine  miles 
from  the  three  mountains,  and  whence  the  intrusive  merry  mountain- 
eer Morton  had  been  expelled,  should,  with  an  enlarged  boundary,  be 
annexed  to  Boston  ;  and  the  lands  within  that  boundary  were  granted 
in  various  proportions  to  individuals,  chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  of  the  new 
company  from  Ipswich. 

The  settlement  soon  increased  ;  and  feeling,  like  all  the  original  set- 
tlements in  New  England,  the  want  of  religions  instruction  and  social 
worship,  found  it  a  great  inconvenience  to  travel  nine  or  ten  miles 
every  Sunday  to  reach  the  place  of  their  devotions.  In  1636  they  be- 
gan to  hold  meetings,  and  to  hear  occasional  preachers,  at  Mount  Wol- 
laston itself.  Three  years  afterwards  they  associated  themselves  under 
a  covenant  as  a  Christian  Church  ;  and  in  1640  were  incorporated  as 
a  separate  town,  by  the  name  of  Braintree. 

Of  this  town  Henry  Adams,  junior,  was  the  first  town-clerk  ;  and  the 
first  pages  of  the  original  town  records,  still  extant,  are  in  his  hand- 
writing. He  was  the  oldest  of  eight  sons,  with  whom  his  father, 
Henry  Adams,  had  emigrated,  probably  from  Braintree  in  England,  and 
who  had  arrived  in  the  vessel  from  Ipswich  in  1634.  Henry  Adams  the 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

elder,  died  in  1646,  leaving  a  widow,  and  a  daughter  named  Ursula, 
besides  the  eight  sons  above-mentioned.  He  had  been  a  brewer  in  En- 
gland, and  had  set  up  a  brewery  in  his  new  habitation.  This  esta- 
blishment was  continued  by  the  youngest  but  one  of  his  sons,  named 
Joseph.  The  other  sons  sought  their  fortunes  in  other  towns,  and 
chiefly  among  their  first  settlers.  Henry,  who  had  been  the  first  town 
clerk  of  Braintree,  removed,  at  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of  Med- 
field  in  1652,  to  that  place,  and  was  again  the  first  town-clerk  there. 

Joseph,  the  son  who  remained  at  Braintree,  was  born  in  1626  ;  was 
at  the  time  of  the  emigration  of  the  family  from  England,  a  boy  of 
eight  years  old,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  in  1694,  leaving  ten 
children, — five  sons  and  five  daughters. 

One  of  these  sons,  named  John,  settled  in  Boston,  and  was  father  of 
Samuel  Adams,  and  grandfather  of  the  revolutionary  patriot  of  that 
name. 

Another  son,  named  also  Joseph,  was  born  in  1654 ;  married  Han- 
nah Bass,  a  daughter  of  Ruth  Alden,  and  grand-daughter  of  John  Al- 
den  of  the  May  Flower,  and  died  in  1736  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 

His  second  son  named  John,  born  in  1689,  was  the  father  of  JOHN 
ADAMS,  the  subject  of  the  present  memoir.  His  mother  was  Susanna, 
daughter  of  Peter  Boylston,  and  niece  of  Dr.  Zabdiel  Boylston,  re- 
nowned as  the  first  introducer  of  inoculation  for  the  small-pox  in  the 
British  dominions. 

This  JOHN  ADAMS  was  born  on  the  30th  October,  1735,  at  Brain- 
tree.  His  father's  elder  brother,  Joseph,  had  been  educated  at  Harvard 
College  ;  and  was  for  upwards  of  sixty  years  minister  of  a  Congrega- 
tional church  at  Newington,  New  Hampshire. 

John  Adams,  the  father,  was  a  farmer  of  small  estate  and  a  com- 
mon school  education.  He  lived  and  died,  as  his  father  and  grand- 
father had  done  before  him,  in  that  mediocrity  of  condition  between 
affluence  and  poverty,  most  propitious  to  the  exercise  of  the  ordinary 
duties  of  life,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  individual  happiness.  He  was 
for  many  years  a  deacon  of  the  church,  and  a  select  man  of  the 
town,  without  enjoying  or  aspiring  to  any  higher  dignity.  He  was  in 
his  religious  opinions,  like  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  New  England  at 
that  time,  a  rigid  Calvinist,  and  was  desirous  of  bestowing  upon  his  eld- 
est son  the  benefit  of  a  classical  education,  to  prepare  him  for  the  same 
profession  with  that  of  his  elder  brother,  the  minister  of  the  gospel  at 
Newington. 

JOHN  ADAMS,  the  son,  had  at  that  early  age  no  vocation  for  the 
Church,  nor  even  for  a  college  education.  Upon  his  father's  asking 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

him  to  what  occupation  in  life  he  would  prefer  to  be  raised,  he  an- 
swered that  he  wished  to  be  a  farmer.  His  father,  without  attempt- 
ing directly  to  control  his  inclination,  replied  that  it  should  be  as  he 
desired.  He  accordingly  took  him  out  with  himself  the  next  day  upon 
the  farm,  and  gave  him  practical  experience  of  the  labors  of  the  plough, 
the  spade,  and  the  scythe.  At  the  close  of  the  day  the  young  farmer 
told  his  father  that  he  would  go  to  school.  He  retained,  however,  his 
fondness  for  farming  to  the  last  years  of  his  life. 

He  was  accordingly  placed  under  the  tuition  of  Mr.  Marsh,  the  keep- 
er of  a  school  then  residing  at  Braintree,  and  who,  ten  years  afterwards, 
was  also  the  instructor  of  Josiah  Q,uincy,  the  celebrated  patriot,  who 
lived  but  to  share  the  first  trials  and  to  face  the  impending  terrors  of 
the  revolution. 

In  1751,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  JOHN  ADAMS  was  admitted  as  a  stu- 
dent at  Harvard  College,  and  in  1755  was  graduated  as  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  The  class  to  which  he  belonged  stands  eminent  on  the  College 
catalogue,  for  the  unusual  number  of  men  distinguished  in  after-life. 
Among  them  were  Samuel  Locke,  some  time  President  of  the  College  ; 
Moses  Hernmenway,  subsequently  a  divine  of  high  reputation ;  Sir  John 
Wentworth,  Governor  of  the  province  of  New  Hampshire  ;  William 
Browne,  a  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  Province  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay,  and  afterwards  Governor  of  the  island  of  Bermuda;  David 
Sewall,  many  years  judge  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in 
the  district,  and  afterwards  State  of  Maine  ;  and  Tristram  Dalton,  a 
Senator  of  the  United  States.  Three  of  these  had  so  far  distinguished 
themselves  while  under-graduates,  that,  in  the  traditions  of  the  College, 
it  was  for  many  years  afterwards  known  by  the  sons  of  Harvard  as  the 
class  of  Adams,  Hernmenway,  and  Locke. 

John  Adams,  the  father,  had  thus  given  to  his  eldest  son  a  liberal 
education  to  fit  him  for  the  gospel  ministry.  He  had  two  other  sons, 
Peter  Boylston  and  Elihu,  whom  he  was  educating  to  the  profession 
which  JOHN  had  at  first  preferred,  of  farmers.  In  this  profession  Peter 
Boylston  continued  to  the  end  of  a  long  life,  holding  for  many  years  a 
commission  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  serving  for  some  time  the 
town  of  Q,uincy  as  their  representative  in  the  legislature  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. He  died  in  1822  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  leaving  nu- 
merous descendants  among  the  respectable  inhabitants  of  Quincy  and  of 
Boston.  Elihu,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  entered  the 
army  as  a  captain,  and  with  multitudes  of  others  fell  a  victim  to  the 
epidemic  dysentery  of  1775.  He  left  two  sons  and  one  daughter, 
whose  posterity  reside  in  the  towns  of  Randolph,  (originally  a  part  of 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Braintree,)  Abington,  and  Bridgewater.  The  daughter  was  the  mother 
of  Aaron  Hobart,  several  years  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  the  United  States,  and  afterwards  of  the  Council  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. 

Among  the  usages  of  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  the  villages  of 
New  England,  a  liberal,  that  is,  a  college  education,  was  considered  as 
an  outfit  for  life,  and  equivalent  to  the  double  portion  of  an  eldest  son. 
Upon  being  graduated  at  the  College  in  1755,  JOHN  ADAMS,  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  had  received  this  double  portion,  and  was  thenceforth  to  pro- 
vide for  himself. 

"  The  world  was  all  before  him,  and  Providence  his  guide." 

At  the  commencement,  when  he  was  graduated,  there  were  present 
one  or  more  of  the  select-men  of  the  town  of  Worcester,  which  was 
then  in  want  of  a  teacher  for  the  town  school.  They  proposed  to  Mr. 
Adams  to  undertake  this  service,  and  he  accepted  the  invitation.  He 
repaired  immediately  to  Worcester,  and  took  upon  him  the  arduous 
duties  of  his  office;  pursuing  at  the  same  time  the  studies  which  were 
to  prepare  him  for  the  ministry. 

His  entrance  thus  upon  the  theatre  of  active  life  was  at  a  period 
of  great  political  excitement.  Precisely  at  the  time  when  he  went  to 
reside  at  Worcester,  occurred  the  first  incidents  of  the  seven  years' war, 
waged  between  France  and  Britain  for  the  mastery  of  the  North  Ame- 
rican continent.  The  disaster  of  Braddock's  defeat  and  death  hap- 
pened precisely  at  that  time,  like  the  shock  of  an  earthquake  through- 
out the  British  colonies.  Politics  were  the  speculation  of  every  mind 
— the  prevailing  topic  of  every  conversation.  It  was  then  that  he 
wrote  to  his  kinsman,  Nathaniel  Webb,  that  prophetic  letter  which  has 
been  justly  called  a  literary  phenomenon,  and  which  shadowed  forth 
the  future  revolution  of  Independence,  and  the  naval  glories  of  this 
Union. 

His  father  had  fondly  cherished  the  hope  that  he  was  raising,  by  the 
education  of  his  son,  a  monumental  pillar  of  the  Calvinistic  church  ; 
and  he  himself,  reluctant  at  the  thought  of  disappointing  the  hopes  of 
his  father,  and  unwilling  to  embrace  a  profession  laboring  then  under 
strong  prejudices  unfavorable  to  it  among  the  people  of  New  England, 
had  acquiesced  in  the  purpose  which  had  devoted  him  to  the  gospel 
ministry.  But  the  progress  of  his  theological  studies  soon  gave  him 
an  irresistible  distaste  for  the  Calvinistic  doctrines.  The  writings  of 
Archbishop  Tillotson,  then  at  the  summit  of  their  reputation  ;  the  pro- 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

found  analysis  of  Bishop  Butler,  with  his  sermons  upon  human  na- 
ture and  upon  the  character  of  Balaam,  took  such  hold  upon  his 
memory,  his  imagination,  and  his  judgment,  that  they  extirpated  from 
his  mind  every  root  of  Calvinism  that  had  been  implanted  in  it ;  and 
the  philosophical  works  of  Bolingbroke,  then  a  dazzling  novelty  in  the 
literary  world,  although  wholly  successless  in  their  tendency  to  shake 
his  faith  in  the  sublime  and  eternal  truths  of  the  gospel,  contributed  ef- 
fectively to  wean  him  from  the  creed  of  the  Genevan  Reformer. 

About  one  year  after  his  first  arrival  at  Worcester,  after  much  anx- 
ious deliberation  and  consultation  with  confidential  friends,  he  resolv- 
ed to  relinquish  the  study  of  divinity,  and  to  undertake  that  of  the  law. 
He  accordingly  entered  the  office  of  Col.  James  Putnam,  then  a  lawyer 
of  reputation  at  Worcester,  and  became  at  the  same  time  an  "inmate 
of  his  house.  With  him  he  lived  in  perfect  harmony  for  the  space  of 
two  years,  pursuing,  with  indefatigable  diligence,  the  study  of  the  law, 
and  keeping  at  the  same  time  the  town  school.  In  1758  he  completed  his 
preparatory  professional  studies  ;  relinquished  his  school,  and  returned 
to  his  paternal  mansion  at  Braintree.  He  applied,  though  a  total  stran- 
ger, to  Jeremy  Gridley,  then  the  most  eminent  lawyer  in  New  England, 
and  Attorney-general  of  the  Province,  to  present  him  to  the  judges  of  the 
Superior  Court  for  admission  to  the  Bar.  Mr.  Gridley  examined  him 
with  regard  to  his  proficiency  in  the  studies  appropriate  to  his  profes- 
sion, and  warmly  recommended  him  to  the  Court,  securing  thereby  his 
admission. 

He  opened  an  office,  and  commenced  the  practice  in  his  native 
town.  Two  years  after,  in  1760,  he  lost  his  father ;  but  continued  to 
reside  with  his  mother  and  brother  till  1764.  His  attendance  upon 
the  Courts  in  the  counties  of  Suffolk,  and  of  the  old  colony,  was  as- 
siduous ;  but  an  accidental  engagement  in  a  private  cause,  before  the 
Court  at  Plymouth,  gave  him  the  opportunity  to  display  talents,  which 
brought  him  immediately  into  large  and  profitable  practice.  In  1762 
the  seven  years'  war  was  concluded  by  the  cession  to  Great  Britain 
and  Spain  of  all  the  possessions  of  France  on  the  continent  of  North 
America  ;  and  at  the  same  time  commenced  in  England  the  system  of 
policy,  which  terminated  in  the  Revolution  of  Independence.  It  com- 
menced by  an  increased  rigor  of  exaction  and  of  restriction  in  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  laws  of  trade.  For  this  purpose  the  officers  of  the  cus- 
toms were  instructed  by  an  order  of  the  royal  council,  to  apply,  in  cases 
when  they  suspected  articles  of  merchandize  upon  which  the  duties  had 
not  been  paid,  were  concealed,  to  the  justices  of  the  Superior  Courts, 
for  writs  of  assistance,  such  as  were  sometimes  issued  from  the  Court 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS 

of  Exchequer  in  England,  authorizing  them  to  enter  the  houses  and 
warehouses  of  the  merchants,  to  detect  the  unlawfully  imported  goods. 
This  was  a  new  and  odious  process,  to  which  the  merchants  in  the  co- 
lonies had  never  before  been  subjected  ;  and  its  legality  was  immediate- 
ly contested  before  the  Superior  Court.  It  was  substantially  the  same 
case  as  that  of  the  general  search  warrants,  which  some  years  after  kin- 
dled so  fierce  and  inextinguishable  a  flame  upon  the  prosecution  of  John 
Wilkes  in  London.  The  spirit  of  English  liberty  was  as  sensitive  and 
as  intractable  in  the  colonies,  as  it  ever  had  been  in  the  mother  coun- 
try. The  remark  of  Junius,  that  the  dogs  and  horses  of  England  lost 
their  metal  by  removing  to  another  hemisphere,  but  that  patriotism 
was  improved  by  transportation,  meant  by  him  for  a  sarcasm,  was 
a  truth  too  serious  for  the  derision  of  a  British  statesman.  The 
trial  of  John  Peter  Zenger,  at  New- York,  had  vindicated  the  freedom  of 
the  press,  and  the  rights  of  juries,  twenty  years  before  they  issued 
victorious  from  the  re-considered  opinions  of  Camden,  and  the  preva- 
ricating wisdom  of  Mansfield.  And  in  the  trial  of  the  writs  of  as- 
sistance, at  Boston,  James  Otis  had 

"taught  the  age  to  quit  their  clogs 

"By  the  known  rules  of  ancient  Liberty ;" 

while  the  search  warrants  for  the  Essay  on  Woman,  and  the  45th  num- 
ber of  the  North  Briton,  and  the  Letter  of  Junius  to  the  King,  were 
slumbering  in  the  womb  of  futurity. 

JOHN  ADAMS,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  attended  as  a  member  of 
the  bar,  the  trial  upon  the  writs  of  assistance,  and  witnessed  the 
splendid  exhibitions  of  genius  and  learning  exerted  in  the  cause 
of  freedom  by  the  pioneer  of  American  Independence,  James  Otis. 
Small  is  the  portion  of  mankind  to  whom  it  is  given  to  discern  the 
great  events  which  control  the  destinies  of  nations  in  their  seminal 
principles.  The  origin  of  the  American  Revolution  has  been  usually 
ascribed  to  the  Stamp  Act ;  JOHN  ADAMS  had  seen  it  in  the  first  cam- 
paign of  the  seven  years'  war  in  1755.  He  saw  and  marked  its  pro- 
gress on  the  argument  of  James  Otis  upon  writs  of  assistance  in 
1762 ;  a  cause  which,  although  it  produced  great  excitement  at  the 
time,  would  scarcely  have  been  noticed  among  the  historical  incidents 
of  the  term,  but  for  the  minutes,  which  his  curiosity  induced  him  to 
take  of  the  trial  as  it  proceeded,  and  from  an  imperfect  copy  of  which, 
taken  afterwards  by  one  of  the  law  students  in  his  office,  the  account 
of  it  in  the  subsequent  histories  of  that  period  has  been  published. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1764,  he  was  married  to  Abigail  Smith, 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

second  daughter  of  William  Smith,  minister  of  a  congregational 
church  at  Weymouth,  then  in  her  twentieth  year. 

This  was  the  memorable  year  of  the  Stamp  Act.  and  from  this  year 
may  be  dated  his  first  entrance  upon  political  life.  His  friend  and  pa- 
tron, Gridley,  had  just  before  that  formed,  with  some  other  members  of 
the  bar  and  men  of  literary  taste,  a  small  social  circle,  who  met  once 
a  week  at  each  other's  houses  for  the  discussion  of  topics  of  literature 
and  law,  oral  or  in  writing.  Before  this  society  MR.  ADAMS  one  eve- 
ning read  a  short  paper  of  Observations  on  the  Feudal  and  Canon  Law, 
which  he  afterwards  published  in  the  Patriotic  newspaper.  The  sen- 
sation which  it  produced  on  the  public  mind  was  so  great,  that  in  the 
following  year  it  was  re-published  in  London,  and  there  attributed  to 
the  pen  of  Gridley.  It  has  been  frequently  since  re-published,  and 
even  now  may  be  considered  as  a  worthy  precursor  to  the  declaration 
of  Independence. 

Popular  commotions  prevented  the  landing  of  the  Stamp  Act  papers, 
which  had  been  sent  from  England  to  be  used  in  all  processes  before 
the  judicial  courts. 

Thomas  Hutchinson,  at  once  the  Lieut.  Governor  and  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  Province,  had  closed  the  sessions  of 
the  Court,  on  the  pretence  that  they  could  not  be  lawfully  held  but 
by  using  the  stamps. 

The  suspension  of  the  Courts  was  severely  felt  throughout  the  Pro- 
vince ;  but  especially  in  the  town  of  Boston,  where,  after  sometime,  a 
town  meeting  was  held,  at  which  it  was  determined  to  present  a  peti- 
tion to  the  Governor  and  Council,  that  the  Courts  of  justice  might  be 
forthwith  re-opened  ;  and  they  prayed  to  be  heard  by  counsel  in  sup- 
port of  the  petition.  This  was  accorded,  and  the  counsel  appointed 
by  the  town  were  Jeremy  Gridley,  then  Attorney-general,  James  Otis, 
and  JOHN  ADAMS,  then  a  young  man  of  thirty,  and  not  even  an  inha- 
bitant of  the  town.  The  Governor  and  Council  had  not  ventured  to 
refuse  hearing  counsel  in  support  of  the  town  petition  ;  but,  perhaps, 
from  the  same  timid  policy,  would  hear  them  only  with  closed  doors, 
and  without  admitting  any  supernumerary  hearers.  They  suggested 
to  the  three  gentlemen,  who  represented  the  town,  the  expediency  of 
deciding  between  themselves  the  points  upon  which  they  proposed  to 
support  the  petition.  Mr.  Gridley,  the  officer  of  the  crown,  without 
entering  upon  the  question  of  right,  represented  only  the  general 
and  severe  distress  suffered  by  all  classes  of  the  people,  not  only 
of  the  town,  but  of  the  whole  province,  by  the  suspension  of  all  pro- 
ceedings in  the  Judicial  Courts.  Mr.  Otis  argued,  that  from  this  unfore- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

seen  and  unexampled  state  of  things,  the  nature  of  the  case  gave  a  right 
of  necessity,  authorizing  the  Governor  and  Council  to  command  the 
re-opening  of  the  Court  until  the  pleasure  of  the  authority  beyond  the 
sea  could  be  known.  MR.  ADAMS  assumed,  as  the  basis  of  his  argu- 
ment, that  the  British  Parliament  had  no  right  of  taxation  over  the 
colonies.  That  the  Stamp  Act  was  an  assumption  of  power,  unwarrant- 
ed by,  and  inconsistent  with,  the  principles  of  the  English  constitution, 
and  with  the  charter  of  the  Province.  That  it  was  null  and  void  ; 
binding  neither  upon  the  people,  nor  upon  the  courts  of  justice  in  the 
colony ;  and  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Governor  and  Council  to  re- 
quire of  the  judges  of  the  Courts,  that  they  should  resume  their  judi- 
cial Courts,  and  proceed  without  exacting  from  suitors,  or  applying  to 
their  own  records,  the  use  of  any  stamps  whatever.  This,  and  a  co- 
temporaneous  resolution  of  the  same  import,  introduced  into  the-House 
of  Representatives  of  the  Province  by  Samuel  Adams,  are  believed  to 
have  been  the  first  direct  denial  of  the  unlimited  right  of  legislation  of 
Parliament  over  the  colonies  in  the  progress  of  that  controversy.  In 
the  argument  before  the  Governor  and  Council,  it  could  be  assumed 
only  by  MR.  ADAMS.  Mr.  Gridley  being  at  that  time  the  king's  At- 
torney-general, and  Mr.  Otis  having,  in  a  celebrated  pamphlet  on  the 
rights  of  the  colonies,  shortly  before  published,  admitted  the  right  of 
taxation  to  be  among  the  lawful  authorities  of  Parliament. 

The  Governor  and  Council  deferred  their  decision  l^xm  the  petition 
of  the  town,  and  before  the  period  arrived  for  the  next  regular  session 
of  the  Superior  Court,  the  intelligence  came  of  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  and  relieved  them  from  the  necessity  of  any  decision  upon  it. 

The  selection  of  MR.  ADAMS  as  one  of  the  law  council  of  the  town 
of  Boston  upon  this  memorable  occasion,  was  at  once  an  introduction  to 
a  career  of  political  eminence,  and  a  signal  advancement  of  his  profes- 
sional reputation  as  a  lawyer.  He  had  already,  as  chairman  of  a 
committee  of  the  town  of  Braintree,  draughted  instructions,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Stamp  Act,  to  the  Representative  of  the  town  in  the  general 
court,  which  had  been  published,  and  attracted  much  notice  ;  and  he 
was  shortly  after  elected  one  of  the  select-men  of  the  town. 

He  had  formed  an  intimate  acquaintance  and  warm  friendship  with 
Jonathan  Sewall.  who  had  married  a  Miss  duincy,  a  relation  of  MR. 
ADAMS.  Sewall,  a  man  of  fine  talents,  distinguished  as  an  orator  and  a 
writer,  had  commenced  his  career  as  a  patriot ;  but  had  been  drawn 
over  by  the  artifices  of  Bernard  and  Hutchinson.  and  by  lucrative  and 
honorable  offices,  to  the  royal  cause.  Through  him  the  office  of  advo- 
cate-general was  offered  to  MR.  ADAMS,  which  he  declined,  though 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

tendered  with  an  assurance  that  no  sacrifice  of  his  political  sentiments 
would  be  expected  from  him  by  his  acceptance  of  the  office.  He  was 
already  known  in  that  Court  by  the  defence  of  Ansell  Nickerson,  an 
American  seaman,  who,  in  self-defence  against  a  press-gang  from  a  king's 
ship  in  the  harbor  of  Boston,  had  killed,  with  the  stroke  of  a  harpoon, 
their  commander,  Lieut.  Panton.  MR.  ADAMS'S  defence  was,  that  the 
usage  of  impressment  had  never  extended  to  the  colonies  ;  that  the 
attempt  to  impress  Nickerson  was,  on  the  part  of  Lieutenant  Panton, 
unlawful ;  and  that  the  act  of  Nickerson  in  killing  him  was  justifiable 
homicide.  Although  the  commander  of  the  naval  force  on  the  Ame- 
rican station,  Captain  Hood,  afterwards  Lord  Hood,  a  name  illustrious 
in  the  naval  annals  of  Britain,  was  a  member  of  the  Court  which 
decided  the  fate  of  Nickerson,  he  was  acquitted  and  discharged  ;  and 
thus,  even  before  the  question  of  Parliamentary  taxation  had  been 
brought  to  its  issue  in  blood,  it  was  solemnly  settled  that  the  royal 
prerogative  of  impressment  did  not  extend  to  the  colonies.  That  pre- 
rogative, so  utterly  irreconcileable  with  the  fundamental  principle  of 
the  great  charter,  "  nullus  homo  capietur"  that  dark  spot  on  the 
snow-white  standard  of  English  freedom,  that  brand  of  servitude 
which  Foster,  from  the  judicial  bench,  stamped  on  the  forehead  of  the 
British  seaman  ;  that  shame  to  the  legislation  of  the  mother  country, 
was,  by  the  exertions  of  JOHN  ADAMS,  banished  from  the  code  of  co- 
lonial law. 

In  the  inimitable  portrait  of  the  just  man  drawn  by  the  great  Roman 
Lyric  Poet,  he  is  said  to  be  equally  immovable  from  his  purpose  by  the 
flashing  eye  of  the  tyrant,  and  by  the  burning  fury  of  a  multitude  com- 
manding him  to  do  wrong.  Of  all  revolutions,  ancient  or  modern, 
that  of  American  Independence  was  pre-eminently  popular.  It  was 
emphatically  the  revolution  of  the  people.  Not  one  noble  name  of  the 
parent  realm  is  found  recorded  upon  its  annals,  as  armed  in  the  defence 
of  the  cause  of  freedom,  or  assisting  in  the  councils  of  the  confederacy ; 
a  few  foreign  nobles,  La  Fayette,  De  Kalb,  Pulaski,  Steuben,  Du  Por- 
tail,  Du  Coudray,  and  a  single  claimant  of  a  British  peerage,  Lord 
Stirling,  warmed  by  the  spirit  of  freedom,  and  stimulated  by  the  elec- 
tric spark  of  military  adventure,  joined  the  standard  of  our  country; 
and  more  than  one  of  them  laid  down  their  lives  in  her  cause.  Of  the 
natives  of  the  land,  not  one — not  Washington  himself — could  be  justly 
styled  the  founder  of  Independence.  The  title  of  Liberator,  since  ap- 
plied to  an  immeasurably  inferior  man  in  another  continent  of  this  he- 
misphere, could  not  be,  and  never  was,  applied  to  Washington.  Of 
the  nation,  formed  after  the  revolution  was  accomplished,  he  was  by 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  one  people  placed  at  the  head  ;  of  the  revolution  itself,  he  was  but 
the  arm. 

North  American  Independence  was  achieved  by  a  new  phenomenon 
in  the  history  of  mankind, — by  a  self-formed,  self-constituted,  and  self- 
governed  Democracy.  There  were  leaders  of  the  people  in  the  seve- 
ral colonies  ;  there  were  representatives  of  the  colonies,  and  after- 
wards of  the  States  in  the  continental  Congress ;  there  was  a  conti- 
nental army,  a  continental  navy,  and  a  continental  currency  ;  agents, 
factors,  and  soldiers ;  but  the  living  soul,  the  vivifying  spirit  of  the 
whole,  was  a  steady,  firm,  resolute,  inflexible  will  of  the  people,  march- 
ing through  fire  and  sword,  and  pestilence  and  famine,  and  bent  to 
march,  were  it  through  the  wreck  of  matter  and  the  crush  of  worlds — 
to  INDEPENDENCE. 

The  objections  urged  from  time  immemorial  against  the  democra- 
cies of  former  ages  were,  the  instability  of  the  popular  will — the  im- 
petuosity of  their  passions — the  fluctuation  of  their  counsels,  and 
the  impossibility  of  resisting  their  occasional  and  transitory  animosities 
and  resentments.  Little  of  al  this  was  seen  in  the  course  of  the  North 
American  revolution.  Even  before  its  outset  the  people  were  trained  to  a 
spirit  of  self-control,  well  suited  to  prepare  them  for  the  trials  that  await- 
ed them,  and  to  carry  them  triumphantly  through  the  fiery  ordeal.  No 
event  contributed  more  to  the  formation  of  this  spirit  than  the  tragedy 
of  the  5th  of  March,  1770,  and  its  consequences.  To  suppress  the 
popular  commotions  which  the  system  of  Parliamentary  taxation  had 
excited  and  could  not  fail  to  provoke,  two  regiments  of  soldiers  were 
stationed  at  Boston  ;  and  becoming  daily  more  odious  to  the  inhabitants, 
were  exposed  to  continual  insults  from  the  unguarded  and  indiscreet 
among  them.  On  the  5th  of  March,  a  small  party  of  the  soldiers,  under 
command  of  Lieut.  Preston,  were  thus  assailed  and  insulted  by  a 
crowd  of  people  gathering  round  them,  until  they  fired  upon  them,  and 
killed  and  wounded  several  persons.  The  passions  of  the  people  were 
roused  to  the  highest  pitch  of  indignation,  but  manifested  themselves 
by  no  violence  or  excess.  Lieutenant  Preston  and  six  of  the  soldiers 
were  arrested  by  the  civil  authority,  and  tried  before  the  Superior 
Court  for  murder.  They  were  so  well  advised  as  to  apply  to  JOHN 
ADAMS  and  Josiah  Quincy,  known  as  among  the  most  ardent  among 
the  patriots,  to  defend  them  ;  and  they  hesitated  not  to  undertake  the 
task.  The  momentary  passions  of  the  people  identified  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  victims  of  that  night  with  the  cause  of  the  country,  and 
JOHN  ADAMS  and  Josiah  Q,uincy  were  signalized  as  deserters  from  the 
standard  of  freedom.  How  great  was  the  load  of  public  obloquy  under 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

which  they  labored,  lives  yet  in  the  memory  of  surviving  witnesses ; 
and  is  recorded  in  the  memoir  of  the  life  of  Josiah  Quincy,  which  the 
filial  veneration  of  a  son,  worthy  of  such  a  father,  has  given  to  the  world. 
Among  the  most  affecting  incidents  related  in  that  volume,  and  the 
most  deeply  interesting  documents  appended  to  it,  are  the  recital  of 
this  event,  and  the  correspondence  between  Josiah  Quincy  the  defend- 
er of  the  soldiers  and  his  father  on  that  occasion.  The  fortitude  of 
JOHN  ADAMS  was  brought  to  a  test  equally  severe  ;  as  the  elder  council 
for  the  prisoners  on  trial,  it  was  his  duty  to  close  the  argument  in  their 
defence.  The  writer  of  this  article  has  often  heard  from  indivi- 
duals, who  had  been  present  among  the  crowd  of  spectators  at  the 
trial,  the  electrical  effect  produced  upon  the  jury,  and  upon  the  im- 
mense and  excited  auditory,  by  the  first  sentence  with  which  he  opened 
his  defence ;  which  was  the  following  citation  from  the  then  recent- 
ly published  work  of  Beccaria. 

"  May  it  please  your  Honors,  and  you,  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury. 

"  I  am  for  the  prisoners  at  the  bar,  and  shall  apologize  for  it  only 
in  the  words  of  the  Marquis  Beccaria.  '  If  I  can  but  be  the  instrument 
of  preserving  one  life,  his  blessing  and  tears  of  transport  shall  be  a  suf- 
ficient consolation  to  me  for  the  contempt  of  all  mankind.'  " 

Captain  Preston  and  the  soldiers  were  acquitted,  excepting  two, 
who  were  found  guilty  of  manslaughter,  an  offence  which,  being  at 
that  time  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  clergy,  was  subject  to  no  sharp- 
er penalty  than  the  gentle  application  of  a  cold  iron  to  the  hand,  and, 
except  as  a  warning  for  the  future,  was  equivalent  to  an  acquittal. 

The  town  of  Boston  instituted  an  annual  commemoration  of  the 
massacre  of  the  5th  of  March,  by  the  delivery  of  an  oration  to  the 
inhabitants  assembled  in  town  meeting.  This  anniversary  was 
thus  celebrated  for  a  succession  of  thirteen  years,  until  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  when  that  of  the  4th  of  July,  the  day  of  na- 
tional Independence,  was  substituted  in  its  place.  The  Boston  mas- 
sacre is,  however,  memorable  as  the  first  example  of  those  annual  com- 
memorations by  public  discourses  ever  since  so  acceptable  to  the  peo- 
pie. 

Within  two  months  after  the  trial  of  the  soldiers,  MR.  ADAMS  re- 
ceived a  new  testimonial  of  the  favor  and  confidence  of  his  townsmen, 
by  their  election  of  him  as  one  of  their  Representatives  in  the  General 
Court  or  Colonial  Legislature.  In  this  body  the  conflict  of  principles 
between  metropolitan  authority  and  British  colonial  liberty  was  perti- 
naciously maintained.  Sir  Francis  Bernard  had  just  before  closed  his 
inglorious  career,  by  seeking  refuge  in  his  own  country  from  the  in- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

dignation  of  the  people  over  whom  he  had  been  sent  to  rule.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Thomas  Hutchinson,  a  native  of  the  province,  a  man 
of  considerable  talent,  great  industry,  and  of  grasping  ambition  ;  who, 
in  evil  hour  for  himself,  preferred  the  path  of  royal  favor  to  that  of  pa- 
triotism for  the  ascent  to  power  and  fortune. 

In  times  of  civil  commotion,  the  immediate  subject  of  contention  be- 
tween the  parties  scarcely  ever  discloses  to  the  superficial  observer  the 
great  questions  at  issue  between  them.  The  first  collision  between 
Hutchinson  and  the  two  branches  of  the  General  Court  was  about  the 
place  where  they  were  to  hold  their  sessions. 

Hutchinson,  by  instructions,  secretly  suggested  by  himself,  convened 
the  General  Court  at  Cambridge,  instead  of  Boston.  They  claimed  it 
as  a  chartered  right  to  meet  at  the  town-house  in  Boston  ;  and  hence 
a  long  controversy  between  the  Governor  and  the  two  houses,  which, 
after  three  years  of  obstinate  discussion,  terminated  by  the  restoration 
of  the  Legislature  to  their  accustomed  place  of  meeting. 

By  the  charter  of  the  colony,  the  members  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives were  annually  elected  by  the  people  of  the  towns,  and  twenty- 
eight  counsellors  by  the  House  of  Representatives  and  council,  with 
the  approbation  of  the  Governor.  The  judges  of  the  Superior  Court 
were  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  Council ;  and  the  Governor, 
Lieutenant-governor,  and  Judges  were  paid  by  annual  grants  from  the 
General  Court.  In  ordinary  times  the  Council  had  always  been  more 
friendly  to  the  Executive  administration,  and  less  disposed  to  resist  the 
transatlantic  authority  than  the  House  ;  but  as  the  contest  with  the 
mother  country  grew  warmer,  and  the  country  party  in  the  House 
stronger,  they  dropped  in  their  elections  to  the  Council  all  the  partizans 
of  the  Court,  and  elected  none  but  the  most  determined  patriots  to  the 
council  board.  The  only  resource  of  the  Governor  was  to  disapprove 
the  most  obnoxious  of  the  persons  elected,  and  thus  to  exclude  a 
few  of  the  most  prominent  leaders ;  but  in  their  places  the  House 
always  elected  others  of  the  same  principles. 

Among  the  devices  to  which,  at  the  instigation  of  Hutchinson  him- 
self, the  British  Government  resorted  to  remedy  these  disorders,  was 
that  of  vacating  the  charter  of  the  colony ;  of  reserving  to  the  King 
in  council  the  appointment  of  the  councillors,  and  of  paying  by  Par- 
liamentary authority  the  Governor  and  Judges,  himself.  The  drift  of 
these  changes  could  not  be  mistaken.  Hutchinson,  who  affected  the 
character  of  a  profound  constitutional  lawyer,  entered  into  long  and 
elaborate  discussion  of  the  rights  and  authority  of  Parliament  in  mes- 
sages to  the  General  Court,  which  were  answered  separately  by  re- 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

ports  of  committees  in  both  Houses.  In  the  composition  of  these 
papers  MR.  ADAMS  was  frequently  employed,  together  with  his  dis- 
tinguished relative,  Samuel  Adams.  For  the  discussion  of  profound 
constitutional  questions,  the  education  of  JOHN  ADAMS  as  a  lawyer, 
had  pre-eminently  qualified  him  to  cope  with  Hutchinson  in  his  black 
letter  messages  ;  and  for  the  arguments  on  chartered  rights  and  statutory 
law,  he  was  relied  upon  beyond  all  others. 

In  1772,  having  removed  to  his  primitive  residence  at  Braintree,  he 
ceased  to  represent  the  town  of  Boston  in  the  Legislature ;  but  he  was 
soon  after  elected  to  the  council,  and  negatived  by  the  Governor.  In 
1774  he  was  elected  one  of  the  members  from  the  colony  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay  to  the  Continental  Congress  ;  and  on  the  first  meeting  of  that 
body,  on  the  5th  of  September  of  that  year,  took  his  seat  among  the 
founders  of  the  North  American  Union.  His  service  in  Congress  con- 
tinued until  November,  1777,  when  he  was  chosen  by  that  body,  in 
the  place  of  Silas  Deane,  a  joint  commissioner  at  the  Court  of  France, 
with  Benjamin  Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee. 

He  embarked  for  France  on  the  13th  of  February,  1778,  in  the  Bos- 
ton frigate,  commanded  by  Samuel  Tucker ;  and,  after  a  most  tempes- 
tuous passage  of  forty-five  days,  landed  at  Bordeaux  in  France.  The 
recognition  by  France  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  conclusion  of  the  treaties  of  commerce  and  of  alliance  between  the 
two  nations,  had  taken  place  between  the  appointment  of  MR.  ADAMS 
and  his  arrival  at  Paris. 

After  the  ratification  of  those  treaties,  Congress  thought  proper  to 
substitute  a  single  minister  plenipotentiary  at  the  court  of  France. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin  was  appointed  the  minister.  Arthur  Lee 
had  previously  received  a  separate  commission  as  minister  to  the  Court 
of  Spain.  MR.  ADAMS,  without  waiting  for  a  letter  of  recall,  returned 
in  the  summer  of  1779.  in  the  French  frigate  La  Sensible,  to  the 
United  States.  The  French  minister  to  the  United  States,  the  Chevalier 
de  la  Luzerne,  together  with  his  secretary  of  legation,  since  highly  dis- 
tinguished through  all  the  scenes  of  the  French  Revolution,  Barbede 
Marbois,  were  passengers  in  the  same  frigate.  They  arrived  at  Boston 
on  the  2d  of  August,  1779.  Precisely  at  that  time  the  convention 
which  formed  the  constitution  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachu- 
setts was  about  to  assemble,  and  MR.  ADAMS  was  returned  to  it  as  a 
member  from  the  town  of  Braintree. 

The  convention  assembled  at  Cambridge  on  the  1st  of  September, 
1779,  and,  after  appointing  a  committee  of  thirty-one  members  to  pre- 
pare a  declaration  of  rights,  and  a  constitution  for  the  Commonwealth, 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

adjourned  over,  on  the  7th  of  that  month,  to  the  28th  of  October  en- 
suing, to  receive  the  report  of  the  committee.  MR.  ADAMS  was  a 
member  of  this  committee,  and  made  the  first  draught  of  the  declara- 
tion of  rights  and  of  the  constitution  reported  to  the  convention. 

But,  in  the  interval  of  the  adjournment,  MR.  ADAMS  had  received 
from  Congress  a  new  commission  for  the  negotiation  of  peace  with 
Great  Britain  ;  in  pursuance  of  which  he  embarked  on  the  14th  of 
November,  at  Boston,  in  the  same  French  frigate  in  which  he  had  re- 
turned to  the  United  States.  Her  destination  was  Brest ;  but  having 
sprung  a  leak  on  her  passage,  and  being  in  danger  of  foundering,  she 
was  obliged  to  make  the  first  European  port,  which  was  that  of  Ferrol 
in  Spain.  There  she  arrived  on  the  7th  of  December,  and  thence  MR. 
ADAMS  travelled,  in  mid-winter,  by  land  to  Paris. 

The  events  of  the  Revolutionary  war  were  not  yet  sufficiently  ma- 
tured for  the  negotiation  of  peace.  Soon  after  the  appointment  of  MR. 
ADAMS  to  this  service,  Henry  Laurens  of  South  Carolina,  then  Presi- 
dent of  Congress,  was  appointed  minister  plenipotentiary  to  negotiate  a 
treaty  of  amity  and  commerce  with  the  United  Netherlands,  with  a  se- 
parate commission  to  negotiate  a  loan  of  money  in  that  country.  On  his 
passage  to  Europe,  Mr.  Laurens  was  captured  by  a  British  cruizer,  and 
was  lodged  in  the  tower  of  London  as  a  prisoner  of  state.  MR.  ADAMS 
then  received  a  commission  for  the  same  service,  and  a  new  appoint- 
ment was  made  of  five  commissioners  for  the  negotiation  of  peace. 
These  were  JOHN  ADAMS,  Benjamin  Franklin,  John  Jay,  Henry  Lau- 
rens, and  Thomas  Jefferson  ;  the  last  of  whom  was,  however,  prevent- 
ed by  the  circumstances  of  his  family  from  proceeding  to  Europe  until 
after  the  conclusion  of  the  peace.  In  July,  1780,  MR.  ADAMS  left 
Paris  and  went  to  Holland,  where,  as  a  preliminary  to  the  negotiation 
of  a  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce,  it  was  necessary  to  procure  the  re- 
cognition of  the  United  States  as  an  independent  power.  The  nego- 
tiation for  a  loan  was  a  separate  power  to  contract  with  individuals. 
In  both  these  negotiations  MR.  ADAMS  was  eminently  successful.  The 
condition  of  the  United  Netherlands  at  that  time  required  a  different 
mode  of  negotiation  from  that  which  was  suitable  with  the  other  na- 
tions of  Continental  Europe.  They  constituted  a  free,  confederated 
republic ;  with  a  prince  allied  to  many  of  the  European  sovereigns, 
and  especially  to  the  Kings  of  Great  Britain  and  of  Prussia,  at  their 
head.  The  politics  of  the  country  were  discussed  in  the  Legislative 
Assemblies  of  the  several  provinces,  and  the  freedom  of  the  press 
opened  avenues  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  In  point  of  form,  MR. 
ADAMS,  as  the  representative  of  the  United  States  claiming  to  be  a  sove- 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

reign  .and  independent  power,  was  to  address  the  President  of  the  States 
General,  which  he  did  in  a  memorial  claiming  to  be  received  as  a 
public  minister  ;  but  setting  forth  all  the  arguments  suited  to  produce 
an  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  favorable  to  the  objects  of 
his  mission.  The  President  of  the  States  General  received  the  memo- 
rial, and  laid  it  before  the  Assembly,  who  referred  it  to  the  Legislative 
Assemblies  of  the  several  provinces  for  consideration ;  MR.  ADAMS 
caused  it  forthwith  to  be  published  in  the  English,  French,  and  Dutch 
languages  in  pamphlets ;  and  it  was  re-published  in  many  of  the  news- 
papers and  other  periodical  journals  of  the  country.  No  public  docu- 
ment of  the  revolution  was  ever  so  widely  circulated  ;  for,  as  an  extra- 
ordinary state  paper,  it  was  re-published  in  every  country  and  every 
language  of  Europe.  Its  success  was  not  less  remarkable  than  the 
extent  of  its  circulation.  It  set  in  motion  the  whole  population  of  the 
Netherlands.  Popular  petitions,  numerously  signed,  poured  in  upon 
the  States  of  the  provinces,  praying  for  the  recognition  of  the  Inde- 
pendence of  the  United  States,  and  the  reception  of  MR.  ADAMS  as 
their  minister.  The  similarity  of  the  condition  of  the  United  States 
to  that  of  the  Netherlands  in  Iheir  struggle  for  Independence  against 
Spain,  strongly  urged  in  the  memorial,  became  a  favorite  topic  for  po- 
pular feeling  in  all  the  provincial  Assemblies.  The  Leyden  Gazette, 
edited  by  John  Luzac,  one  of  the  most  accomplished  scholars  of  the 
age,  and  one  of  the  purest  republican  spirits  of  any  age  or  clime,  was 
engaged  with  deep  and  fervid  interest  in  the  cause  of  America,  stimu- 
lated, even  to  enthusiasm,  by  the  personal  friendship  formed  with  the 
kindred  spirit  of  JOHN  ADAMS.  Another  Frenchman  of  great  ability, 
and  highly  distinguished  as  the  author  of  the  best  history  extant,  in 
the  French  language,  of  the  United  Provinces,  A.  M.  Cerisier,  at  the 
instance  of  MR.  ADAMS,  commenced  a  weekly  journal  under  the  title 
of"  the  Politique  Hollandais,"  devoted  exclusively  to  the  communication 
of  correct  intelligence  from  America,  and  to  set  forth  the  community 
of  principles  and  of  interests  between  the  new  and  the  old  republic. 
Having  formed  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  an  eminent  lawyer  at 
Amsterdam,  named  Calkoen,  that  gentleman,  who  was  a  member  of  a 
political  and  literary  society  which  held  private  weekly  meetings,  ad- 
dressed sundry  queries  to  MR.  ADAMS  respecting  the  state  of  the  war, 
the  condition  of  the  people  in  the  United  States,  and  their  dispositions 
with  regard  to  the  cause  of  Independence  ;  which  he  answered  in  twen- 
ty-six letters,  since  frequently  published.  They  were  read  and  dis- 
cussed at  the  meetings  of  the  society,  and  furnished  facts  and  argument 
for  the  friends  of  America  and  of  freedom  to  counteract  the  influence 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

and  the  misrepresentations  of  the  English  party  or  Anglomanes,  always 
numerous  and  powerful  in  the  United  Netherlands.  The  armed  neu- 
trality of  the  north,  and  the  insolent,  domineering  tone  of  Sir  Joseph 
York,  the  British  minister  at  the  Hague,  contributed  to  the  excitement 
of  the  people  in  favor  of  the  American  cause  ;  and  after  patiently  wait- 
ing till  the  state  of  public  opinion  was  sufficiently  matured,  MR. 
ADAMS  ventured  upon  a  step,  the  boldness  of  which  could  only  be  jus- 
tified by  success.  He  addressed  a  note  to  the  States  General,  which 
he  delivered  in  person  to  their  President,  referring  to  the  memorial 
which  he  had  twelve  months  before  presented  ;  proposing  a  treaty  of 
amity  and  commerce  between  the  two  nations,  and  demanding  a 
categorical  answer  which  he  might  transmit  to  his  sovereign. 

With  this  demand  the  States  General  ot  the  United  Netherlands 
promptly  complied.  The  Independence  of  the  United  States  was  for- 
mally recognized  by  the  reception  of  MR.  ADAMS  as  their  minister. 
A  commission,  consisting  of  one  member  from  each  of  the  Provinces, 
was  appointed  to  treat  with  him  ;  and  with  them  he  concluded  the  treaty 
of  amity,  navigation,  and  commerce  of  8th  October,  1782 ;  still  recog- 
nized at  this  day  by  the  United  States,  and  by  the  present  king  of  Hol- 
land, as  the  law  of  commercial  intercourse  between  the  two  nations. 

While  conducting  this  political  negotiation,  MR.  ADAMS  had  also 
contracted  with  three  banking  houses  at  Amsterdam,  a  loan  of  five  mil- 
lions of  florins,  at  a  yearly  interest  of  five  per  cent. ;  furnishing,  at  a 
critical  period  of  the  war,  a  most  seasonable  supply  to  the  exhausted 
treasury  of  the  United  States. 

The  day  after  the  conclusion  of  the  commercial  treaty,  and  of  a  con- 
vention concerning  maritime  prizes  of  the  same  date,  MR.  ADAMS  pro- 
ceeded to  Paris,  where  the  negotiation  for  peace  with  Great  Britain  had 
already  been  commenced  between  his  colleagues,  Dr.  Franklin  and 
Mr.  Jay ;  first  with  certain  informal  agents  appointed  by  the  British 
Government,  and  afterwards  with  Richard  Oswald,  formerly  commis- 
sioned by  George  the  Third  to  treat  for  peace  with  the  commissioners 
of  the  United  States  of  America.  This  negotiation  terminated  in  the 
preliminary  articles  of  peace  of  30th  November,  1782  ;  succeeded  by 
the  definitive  treaty  also  concluded  at  Paris  on  the  3rd  of  September, 
1783. 

The  responsibilities  of  public  men  in  stations  of  high  dignity  and 
trust  in  ordinary  and  prosperous  times,  are  sufficiently  arduous  for  the 
trial  of  the  tempers  of  men  ;  but  the  labors,  the  anxieties,  the  perturba- 
tions of  mind  incident  to  the  condition  of  a  man  charged  with  the  duty 
of  maintaining,  in  a  desperate  conflict  with  oppressive  power,  not  only 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

his  own  character  and  honor,  but  the  existence  of  his  country,  can 
scarcely  be  conceivable  to  an  American  of  the  present  age.  They  stag- 
ger the  firmness  of  the  most  intrepid  soul.  They  prey  upon  a  bodily 
frame  hardy  as  the  Nemaean  lion's  nerve.  Blessed  with  an  excellent  na- 
tural constitution,  MR.  ADAMS  had  in  early  youth  ever  plied  it  with 
intense  study  and  indefatigable  professional  labor  ;  from  the  time  that 
he  had  become  engaged  in  the  service  of  his  country,  his  days  and 
nights  had  been  devoted  to  the  performance  of  his  duties.  In  the 
midst  of  his  negotiations  in  Holland  he  was  brought  within  a  hair's 
breadth  of  the  grave  by  a  typhus  fever,  in  the  summer  of  1781,  at  Am- 
sterdam ;  and  a  few  days  after  the  signature  of  the  definitive  treaty  of 
peace,  he  was  taken  with  a  slow  nervous  fever,  which  again  brought 
him  to  death's  door.  To  promote  his  recovery,  he  was  advised  by  his 
physician  to  indulge  himself  in  a  temporary  relaxation  from  public 
business ;  and  in  October,  1783,  he  made  his  first  visit  to  England, 
where,  though  in  a  private  capacity,  upon  the  meeting  of  Parliament, 
he  heard  the  lips  of  George  the  Third  on  his  throne,  announce  to  his 
people,  that  he  had  concluded  a  definitive  treaty  of  peace  with  the 
United  States  of  America. 

In  January,  1784.  he  was  suddenly  called  back  to  his  post,  in  Hol- 
land, to  negotiate  a  new  loan  of  two  millions  of  florins,  which  had  be- 
come necessary  for  the  punctual  payment  of  the  interest  upon  that 
which  had  been  previously  contracted,  and  which  he  effected  upon 
terms  equally  advantageous.  On  his  return  to  the  Hague,  he  held 
conferences  with  the  Baron  de  Thulemeyer,  the  minister  of  the  great 
Frederic  of  Prussia,  commissioned  by  him  to  conclude  a  treaty  of 
amity  and  commerce  with  the  United  States.  While  engaged  in  this 
discussion,  Congress  had  appointed  JOHN  ADAMS,  Benjamin  Franklin, 
and  Thomas  Jefferson,  commissioners  to  negotiate  treaties  of  commerce 
with  any  of  the  European  powers,  or  of  the  Barbary  States,  which 
might  be  inclined  to  form  such  engagements. 

The  commission  met  at  Paris,  in  August,  1794,  and  communicated, 
through  the  ministers  of  the  several  powers  of  Europe,  their  powers  to 
negotiate  treaties  of  amity  and  commerce.  But  under  this  commission, 
the  treaty  which  had  been  already  nearly  concluded  by  MR.  ADAMS 
and  the  Baron  de  Thulemeyer  was  the  only  one  accomplished  in  Eu- 
rope. In  the  spring  of  1785,  Doctor  Franklin,  at  the  age  of  nearly 
four-score,  and  laboring  under  the  painful  disease  which  finally  closed 
his  illustrious  life,  returned  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  Jefferson  was 
appointed  his  successor  at  the  Court  of  France,  and  MR.  ADAMS  re- 
ceived a  commission  as  the  first  minister  plenipotentiary  of  the  United 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

States  at  the  Court  of  the  British  king.  They  still  remained  jointly 
charged  with  the  commission  for  negotiating  treaties  of  commerce, 
under  which  was  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Emperor  of  Morocco, 
and  a  commercial  treaty  with  Portugal ;  the  ratification  of  which  by  the 
Portuguese  Government  was  withheld,  under  the  controling  influence 
of  Great  Britain  at  that  Court. 

In  May,  1785,  MR.  ADAMS  proceeded  to  London,  where  he  was  re- 
ceived by  George  the  Third  as  the  minister  of  the  Independent  States 
of  North  America.  He  was  authorized  to  form  a  commercial  treaty 
with  Great  Britain  of  the  most  liberal  character  ;  but  a  proud  and  mor- 
tified spirit  had  succeeded  in  the  breast  of  the  monarch,  and  a  resent- 
ful and  jealous  rivalry  in  the  temper  of  the  nation,  to  the  cruel  and  de- 
solating war,  which  for  seven  years  had  been  waged  to  subdue  the 
North  American  people.  In  that  people,  too,  an  irritated  and  resentful 
temper  still  rankled  long  after  the  conflict  for  independence  had  closed. 
Mutual  charges  of  bad  faith  in  failing  to  execute  the  articles  of  the 
treaty  of  peace,  but  two  well  founded  on  both  sides,  continued  the 
alienation  of  heart  between  the  nations,  which  the  contest  and  the  se- 
paration had  caused.  The  British  Government  had,  indeed,  more 
than  plausible  reasons  for  declining  to  conclude  a  commercial  treaty 
with  a  Congress,  which  had  not  even  authority  to  carry  into  execution 
the  stipulations  of  the  treaty  of  peace.  After  a  residence  in  England 
of  three  years,  in  June,  1778,  MR.  ADAMS  returned  to  the  United 
States,  precisely  at  the  moment  when  the  ratification,  by  nine  States,  of 
the  constitution,  had  established  the  form  of  government  for  the  Union, 
under  which  we  yet  live. 

During  his  residence  in  England  he  had  composed  and  published, 
in  three  volumes,  his  Defence  of  the  Constitutions  of  the  United  States, 
— a  treatise  upon  Goverment,  afterwards  called  the  History  of  the 
principal  Republics  of  the  World  ;  a  work  which  has  contributed  more 
than  any  other  ever  written,  to  settle  the  opinions  of  mankind  upon 
the  great  question,  whether  the  legislative  power  of  a  free  state  should 
be  vested  in  a  single  assembly,  or  in  two  separate  co-ordinate  branches  ; 
incidental  to  which  is  the  question,  not  less  important,  of  a  single  or  a 
plural  executive.  Upon  these  points  there  is  now  scarcely  any  diversi- 
ty of  opinion  among  the  enlightened  theorists  of  Government. 

Just  before  his  return  to'the  United  States,  MR.  ADAMS  had  been 
elected,  by  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  a  member  of  Congress, 
under  the  articles  of  Confederation  ;  but  that  body  was  in  a  virtual 
state  of  dissolution.  The  constitution  of  the  United  States  had  receiv- 
ed the  sanction  of  the  people.  The  times  and  places  for  holding  the 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

elections  to  organize  the  new  government,  had  been  fixed  and  the 
semblance  of  authority,  which  was  all  that  the  Confederation  Congress 
had  ever  possessed,  was  vanishing  even  before  the  fabric  of  its  more 
efficient  substitute  was  completed. 

In  December,.  1788,  the  first  elections  were  held  for  carrying  into 
execution  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States ;  at  which  George 
Washington  was  unanimously  chosen  President,  and  JOHN  ADAMS 
was  elected  Vice-President  of  the  Union  ;  and  four  years  afterwards 
they  were  both,  in  like  manner,  re-elected  to  the  same  offices.  At  the 
close  of  the  second  term,  Washington  declined  a  second  re-election, 
and  MR.  ADAMS  was  chosen  President  of  the  United  States. 

During  the  eight  years  of  Washington's  administration,  MR.  ADAMS 
presided  in  the  Senate.  Throughout  the  whole  of  both  those  terms  he 
gave  to  the  administration  a  firm  and  efficient  support. 

Whenever  there  is  Government,  there  must  be  councils  of  adminis- 
tration and  collisions  of  opinion,  concerning  its  mode  and  its  measures. 
In  all  governments,  therefore,  there  are  parties  which  necessarily  become 
braided,  and,  too  often,  entangled  with  the  personal  characters,  princi- 
ples, passions,  and  fortunes  of  individual  men.  No  sooner  had  the 
founder  of  the  Christian  faith  laid  the  corner-stone,  for  the  establish- 
ment of  the  purest  and  most  self-sacrificing  of  all  religions,  by  the  se- 
lection of  the  twelve  apostles,  than  ambition  and  avarice,  the  thirst  of 
place  and  treachery,  were  disclosed  among  them. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  was  the  result  of  a  compro- 
mise between  parties,  which  had  existed  from  the  first  formation  of 
the  American  Union.  It  drew  together,  by  closer  ties,  the  inhabitants  of 
an  extensive  country,  chiefly  descended  from  one  common  stock,  but 
greatly  diversified  by  the  varieties  of  climates,  and  of  soils  on  which 
they  had  settled,  and  the  oppositions  of  religious  and  political  opinions 
in  which  they  had  originated.  It  made  them  permanently,  and  by 
political  organization,  what  the  enthusiasm  of  a  common  struggle  for 
freedom,  common  sufferings  and  common  dangers  had  made  them  for 
a  time,  in  the  war  of  Independence,  but  which  the  imbecility  of  the 
Articles  of  Confederation  had  failed  to  sustain,  it  made  them  One 
People,  This  stupendous  monument  of  wisdom  and  virtue  was  ac- 
complished by  a  party — then  known  by  the  denomination  of  Federa- 
lists ;  a  name  which,  from  various  causes,  has  since  become  a  term  of 
reproach,  but  which,  at  that  time,  Washington  and  Madison  were  alike 
proud  of  bearing.  In  the  disjointed  condition  of  the  confederacy,  there 
was  but  one  man  whose  talents  and  services  had  rivetted  him  in  the 
gratitude  and  affections  of  all  his  countrymen,  and  that  was,  the 

19 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

leader  of  the  armies  of  the  Revolution.  He  presided  in  the  convention 
which  formed  the  Constitution  ;  and  no  one  can  analyse  that  instrument 
without  perceiving  that  much  of  its  character,  and  expecially  the  con- 
struction of  its  executive  power,  was  adapted  to  him,  and  fashioned 
upon  the  preconception  that  the  office  would  be  occupied  by  him. 

Nor  was  this  anticipation  disappointed.  He  was  twice  elected  by 
the  unanimous  suffrages  of  the  electoral  colleges  President  of  the 
United  States.  But  he  was  scarcely  installed  in  office,  and  the  wheels 
of  the  new  machine  of  government  had  scarcely  began  to  move,  when 
the  spirit  of  party,  transferred  from  the  confederacy  to  the  constitution, 
sought,  in  the  principal  subordinate  officers  of  the  government,  leaders 
for  the  succession,  to  be  thereafter  seated  in  the  chair  of  Washington. 
These  leaders  immediately  presented  themselves  in  the  persons  of 
Thomas  Jefferson,  Secretary  of  State,  and  Alexander  Hamilton,  Secreta- 
ry of  the  Treasury.  In  the  diversity  of  the  principles  of  these  two  men, 
conflict  immediately  sprung  up,  as  to  those  which  should  govern  the  ad- 
ministration. Those  of  Hamilton  were  more  congenial  to  the  mind  of 
Washington,  and  became  the  ruling  principles  of  the  administration  ; 
upon  which  Jefferson  retired  from  public  office,  and  was  thencefor- 
ward looked  up  to  as  the  head  of  the  opposition  to  Washington's  ad- 
ministration. Before  the  close  of  Washington's  second  term,  Hamilton 
had  also  retired,  but  continued  to  support  his  administration. 

At  the  time  when  MR.  ADAMS  was  chosen  President  of  the  United 
States,  he  was  supported  by  the  party  which  had  sustained  the  adminis- 
tration. Jefferson  was  his  competitor,  as  the  leader  of  the  opposition. 
The  contest  was  close.  MR.  ADAMS  was  elected  by  a  bare  majority 
of  the  electoral  votes  ;  and  by  the  provision  of  the  constitution  then 
existing,  that  both  candidates  should  be  voted  for  as  President,  and 
that  the  person  having  the  highest  number  of  votes  short  of  a  ma- 
jority should  be  Yice-President,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  to  that 
office;  and  thus  the  head  of  the  opposition  became  the  presiding  officer 
in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and  at  the  next  election,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1800,  was  chosen  President  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1801,  the  official  term  of  MR.  ADAMS  expir- 
ed, and  he  retired  to  his  residence  at  duincy,  where  he  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  days. 

The  administration  of  MR.  ADAMS  was  but  a  continuation  of  that 
of  his  predecessor.  It  was  the  practical  execution  of  the  constitution, 
by  the  party  which  had  formed  and  fashioned  it,  and  had  succeeded 
against  a  determined  and  persevering  opposition  in  procuring  its  ac- 
ceptance by  the  people.  Mr.  Jefferson  had  availed  himself  of  the 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

passions  and  prejudices  of  the  people  to  obtain  the  possession  of  power, 
constantly  modifying  his  opposition  according  to  the  fluctuations  of 
public  opinion,  and  taking  advantage  of  every  error,  in  the  policy  ol 
the  federal  party,  to  which  an  odious  imputation  could  be  applied.  In 
the  course  of  their  common  service  in  Congress  during  the  War  of 
Independence,  and  in  that  of  the  joint  commission  in  Europe  after  the 
peace,  the  most  cordial  harmony  had  subsisted  between  him  and  MR. 
ADAMS.  Their  views  of  the  French  Revolution  first  divided  them ; 
and  upon  a  re-publication  in  this  country  of  one  of  Thomas  Paine's 
revolutionary  pamphlets,  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  a  note  to  the  printer,  recom- 
mended it  as  a  corrective  to  the  political  heresies  then  in  circulation. 
The  allusion  was  universally  understood  as  intended  to  apply  to  the 
publication  of  certain  essays,  under  the  title  of  Discourses  on  Davila, 
and  known  to  be  written  by  MR.  ADAMS.  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  a  letter  to 
MR.  ADAMS,  disclaimed  all  such  intention  ;  but  his  subsequent  deport- 
ment, and  the  essential  diversity  of  their  opinions,  gradually  alienated 
them  from  each  other,  and  dissolved  the  personal  friendship  which 
had  subsisted  between  them.  During  the  administration  of  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson there  was  no  personal  intercourse  between  them ;  but  when  the 
great  questions  of  the  rights  of  neutral  commerce,  and  the  outrageous 
impressment  of  American  seamen  by  the  naval  officers  of  Great  Bri- 
tain, brought  the  Government  of  the  United  States  into  imminent 
danger,  MR.  ADAMS,  though  remaining  in  private  life,  sacrificed  all 
his  resentments  and  by  numerous  writings  in  the  public  journals, 
gave  the  most  efficient  support  to  the  administration  of  his  successor. 

In  1809  Mr.  Jefferson  himself  was  succeeded  by  his  friend  and 
most  faithful  counsellor,  James  Madison.  During  his  administration, 
the  controversies  with  Great  Britain,  in  the  midst  of  which  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson had  retired,  rankled  into  a  war,  precisely  at  the  time  when  the 
tide  of  victory  and  of  triumph  was  turning  in  favor  of  Britain,  against 
Napoleon,  at  the  closing  stage  of  that  revolution  by  which  France 
had  passed  from  an  absolute  monarchy,  through  a  brutal  and  sangui- 
nary mock-democracy,  to  a  military  despotism,  and  thence  to  the  tran- 
sient resurrection  of  the  dry  bones  of  the  Bourbons. 

In  the  contests  with  Great  Britain  concerning  neutral  rights  and  im- 
pressment, which  had  preceded  and  led  to  the  war,  the  interests  of  the 
commercial  portion  of  the  community  were  most  immediately  and 
deeply  involved.  But  Mr.  Jefferson's  system  of  defence  consisted  in 
commercial  restrictions,  non-intercourse  and  embargoes,  destructive  to 
the  very  interest  which  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Government  to  main- 
tain. The  Caesarian  ambition  of  Napoleon,  and  his  unparalleled  sue- 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

cession  of  military  triumphs,  had  alarmed  the  American  politicians  of 
the  federal  school,  till  they  had  frightened  themselves  into  the  belief 
that  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  affecting  universal  empire,  and  about  to 
become  master  of  the  world.  They  believed  also,  that  Great  Britain 
presented  the  only  obstacle  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  design  ;  and 
in  this  panic-terror,  they  lost  all  sense  of  the  injustice  and  insolence  ot 
Great  Britain  exercised  upon  themselves.  The  restrictive  system  bore 
most  impressively  upon  New  England,  to  whose  people,  commerce, 
navigation,  and  the  fisheries,  were  necessaries  of  life  ;  and  they  felt  the 
restrictive  system  as  aggravation  rather  than  relief.  When  the  war 
came,  it  was  a  total  annihilation  of  all  their  modes  of  industry,  and 
of  their  principal  resources  of  subsistence.  They  transferred  their 
resentments  from  the  foreign  aggressor  to  their  own  Government,  and 
became  disaffected  to  the  Union  itself.  The  party  in  opposition  to  Mr. 
Madison's  Administration  prevailed  throughout  all  the  New  England 
States ;  and  had  the  war  continued  one  year  longer,  there  is  little 
doubt  that  the  floating  projects  of  a  separation,  and  of  a  northern  con- 
federacy, would  have  ripened  into*  decisive  action.  Throughout  the 
whole  of  this  ordeal.  MR.  ADAMS  constantly  supported  the  Adminis- 
tration of  Mr.  Madison,  till  the  conclusion  of  the  peace  at  Ghent,  in 
December,  1814,  scattered  the  projects  of  the  northern  confederacy  to  the 
winds,  and  restored,  for  a  short  and  happy  interval,  the  era  of  good 
feelings. 

In  December,  1820,  MR.  ADAMS  was  chosen  one  of  the  electors  of 
President  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  ;  and,  together  with 
all  his  colleagues  of  the  electoral  College  of  Massachusetts,  voted  for 
the  re-election  of  James  Monroe  and  Daniel  D.  Tompkins  to  those 
offices. 

The  last  public  service  in  which  MR.  ADAMS  was  engaged,  was  as  a 
member  of  the  convention  to  revise  the  Constitution  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  of  which  body  he  was  unanimously  chosen 
President.  Then  in  the  86th  year  of  his  age,  he  declined  to  assume 
the  arduous  duties  of  that  station,  but  gave  his  attendance  as  a  mem- 
ber throughout  the  sessions  of  the  convention,  and  occasionally  took 
part  in  their  debates. 

This  election  was  communicated  to  MR.  ADAMS  by  a  Committee  of 
the  Convention,  with  the  following  resolutions  : — 

"  In  Convention,  November  15,  1820. 

"  Whereas,  the  Honorable  JOHN  ADAMS,  a  member  of  this  Conven- 
tion, and  elected  the  President  thereof,  has,  for  more  than  half  a 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

century,  devoted  the  great  powers  of  his  mind,  and  his  profound  wis- 
dom and  learning,  to  the  service  of  his  country  and  mankind  : 

In  fearlessly  vindicating  the  rights  of  the  North  American  provinces 
against  the  usurpations  and  encroachments  of  the  superintendant  go- 
vernment : 

In  diffusing  a  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  civil  liberty  among 
nis  fellow  subjects,  and  exciting  them  to  a  firm  and  resolute  defence  of 
the  privileges  of  freemen  : 

In  early  conceiving,  asserting,  and  maintaining  the  justice  and 
practicability  of  establishing  the  independence  of  the  United  States  of 
America : 

In  giving  the  powerful  aid  of  his  political  knowledge  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Constitution  of  his  native  State,  which  constitution  be- 
came in  a  great  measure  the  model  of  those  which  were  subsequently 
formed  : 

In  conciliating  the  favor  of  foreign  powers,  and  obtaining  their 
countenance  and  support  in  the  arduous  struggle  for  independence  : 

In  negotiating  the  treaty  of  peace,  which  secured  forever  the  so- 
vereignty of  the  United  States,  and  in  defeating  all  attempts  to  prevent 
it ;  and  especially  in  preserving  in  that  treaty  the  vital  interest  of  the 
New  England  States : 

In  demonstrating  to  the  world,  in  his  defence  of  the  Constitutions 
of  the  several  united  States,  the  contested  principle,  since  admitted  as 
an  axiom,  that  checks  arid  balances  in  legislative  power,  are  essential 
to  true  liberty : 

In  devoting  his  time  and  talents  to  the  service  of  the  nation,  in  the 
high  and  important  trusts  of  Vice-President  and  President  of  the 
United  States : 

And  lastly,  in  passing  an  honorable  old  age  in  dignified  retirement, 
in  the  practice  of  all  the  domestic  virtues,  thus  exhibiting  to  his  coun- 
trymen and  to  posterity,  an  example  of  true  greatness  of  mind  and  of 
genuine  patriotism : — 

Therefore,  Resolved.  That  the  members  of  this  convention,  repre- 
senting the  people  of  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  do  joyfully 
avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  testify  their  respect  and  grati- 
tude to  this  eminent  patriot  and  statesman,  for  the  great  services  render- 
ed by  him  to  his  country,  and  their  high  gratification  that,  at  this  late 
period  of  life,  he  is  permitted  by  Divine  Providence  to  assist  them  with 
his  counsel  in  revising  the  constitution  which,  forty  years  ago.  his  wis- 
dom and  prudence  assisted  to  form. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  twelve  be  appointed  by  the  chair,  to 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

communicate  this  proceeding  to  the  honorable  JOHN  ADAMS,  to  inform 
him  of  his  election  to  preside  in  this  body,  and  to  introduce  him  to  the 
chair  of  this  convention. 

In  this  resolution,  honorable  alike  to  the  people  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  to  their  representatives  by  whom  it  was  adopt- 
ed, and  to  him  whom  it  intended  to  honor,  is  contained  a  concentrated 
summary  of  the  life,  character,  and  services  of  JOHN  ADAMS.  It 
closes  with  appropriate  dignity  his  career  as  a  public  man. 

Nor  was  he  less  exemplary  in  all  the  relations  of  private  and  domes- 
tic life.  As  a  son,  a  husband,  a  brother,  a  father,  and  a  friend,  his  affec- 
tions were  ardent,  disinterested  and  faithful.  His  filial  piety  not  exclu- 
sively confined  to  his  immediate  parents,  carefully  preserved  the  me- 
morials of  their  ancestors,  for  three  preceding  generations,  to  the  pa- 
triarch, first  settler  of  Braintree,  Henry  Adams,  and  he  caused,  to  be 
erected  in  the  cemetery,  where 

"  Each  in  his  narrow  cell  for  ever  laid, 
The  rude  fore-fathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep," 

monuments  of  the  solid  and  simple  granite  from  the  soil  on  which  they 
had  settled,  recording  their  names  and  years,  spelt  by  no  unlettered 
muse,  but  embracing  in  the  inscription  of  little  more  than  those  dates, 
all  that  remains  of  their  short  and  simple  annals. 

In  the  common  experience  of  mankind,  friendship,  the  pleasures  of 
which  are  among  the  choicest  enjoyments  of  life,  is  yet  a  sentiment  of 
so  delicate  a  texture,  that  it  almost  invariably  sinks  under  the  collision 
of  adverse  interests  and  conflicting  opinions.  With  contests  of  opinion 
untainted  with  opposing  interests,  friendship  may  indeed  subsist  unim- 
paired ;  but  in  the  discussion  of  religious  or  political  opinions,  which 
divide  the  minds  of  men,  interest  and  opinion  act  and  re-act  upon  each 
other,  till  the  tender  bloom  of  friendship  withers  and  dies  under  their 
chilling  frost.  So  fared  it  with  the  friendship  formed  by  MR.  ADAMS 
in  early  life  with  Jonathan  Sewall.  So  fared  it  with  the  friendship 
formed  in  a  common  service,  in  the  trying  scenes  of  the  war  of  Indepen- 
dence, with  Thomas  Jefferson.  An  affecting  passage  in  his  diary  in 
1774,  records  the  pang  with  which  he  had  parted  from  the  friend  of 
his  youth,  and  an  intercourse  of  mutual  respect  ,and  good-will  was 
restored  between  them  after  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war.  A 
reconciliation  with  Mr.  Jefferson  was,  by  the  interposition  of  a  common 
friend,  effected,  after  all  collisions  of  interests  had  subsided ;  and  for  the 
last  ten  years  of  their  lives  a  friendly  and  frequent  correspondence  was 
maintained,  with  mutual  satisfaction,  between  them.  Many  of  those 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

letters  have  been  published,  equally  creditable  to  both  ;  and  that  of  Mr. 
Jefferson  upon  the  decease  of  Mrs.  Adams,  in  October,  1818,  as  an  effu- 
sion of  sympathy  with  the  severest  of  earthly  afflictions,  in  the  admi- 
nistration of  tender  and  delicate  condolence,  has  never  been  surpassed. 

They  died  on  one  and  the  same  day,  the  jubilee  of  the  day  of  Inde- 
pendence— a  coincidence  so  remarkable,  that  men  of  a  religious  turn 
of  mind,  in  days  of  more  devoted  faith,  would  have  regarded  it  as  a 
special  interposition  of  Providence,  to  stamp  on  the  hearts  of  their  coun- 
try, and  of  unnumbered  future  ages,  a  more  indelible  remembrance  of 
that  memorable  event,  and  of  the  share  which  they  had  jointly  taken  in 
its  imperishable  deed. 

The  death  of  JOHN  ADAMS  occurred  on  the  4th  of  July,  1826,  at  the 
moment  when  his  fellow-citizens,  of  his  native  town  of  Q,uincy,  were  • 
celebrating  in  a  social  banquet,  to  which  he  had  been  invited,  the  an- 
niversary of  the  Nation's  Independence.  His  physical  faculties  had 
gradually  declined  in  the  lapse  of  years,  leaving  his  intellect  clear 
and  bright  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life. 

Some  years  before  his  decease  he  had,  by  two  several  deeds  of  gift, 
conveyed  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  duincy,  his  library  and  seve- 
ral valuable  lots  of  land,  the  proceeds  of  the  income  of  which  were  to 
be  devoted  to  the  erection  of  a  stone  temple  for  the  worship  of  God, 
and  of  a  school-house  for  a  classical  school. 

Shortly  after  his  death,  the  worshippers  at  the  first  Congregational 
church  in  duincy,  of  which  he  had  been  a  member,  determined,  with 
the  aid  of  his  donation  to  erect  the  temple,  which  was  done  in  the 
year  1828  ;  and  after  it  was  completed,  his  mortal  remains,  with  those 
of  the  partner  of  his  life,  were  deposited  side  by  side  in  a  vault  beneath 
its  walls. 

Within  the  same  house,  a  plain,  white  marble  slab,  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  pulpit,  surmounted  by  his  bust,  (the  work  of  Horatio 
Greenough,)  bears  the  following  inscription,  written  by  his  eldest 
son. 

Libertatem,  Amicitiam,  Fidem,  Retinebis. 

D.  O.  M. 

Beneath  these  walls 

Are  deposited  the  mortal  remains  of 

JOHN    ADAMS, 

Son  of  John  and  Susanna  (Boylston)  Adams, 

Second  President  of  the  United  States. 

Born  H  October,  1735. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  1776, 
He  pledged  his  Life,  Fortune,  and  sacred  Honour 
.       To  the  INDEPENDENCE  OF  HIS  COUNTRY. 

On  the  third  of  September,  1783, 
He  affixed  his  seal  to  the  definitive  treaty  with  Great  Britain, 

Which  acknowledged  that  independence, 

And  consummated  the  redemption  of  his  pledge. 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  1826, 

He  was  summoned 

To  the  Independence  of  Immortality 

And  to  the  JUDGMENT  OF  HIS  GOD. 

This  House  will  bear  witness  to  his  piety ; 

This  Town,  his  birth-place,  to  his  munificence ; 

History  to  his  patriotism  ; 
Posterity  to  the  depth  and  compass  of  his  mind. 

At  his  side 
Sleeps,  till  the  trump  shall  sound, 

ABIGAIL, 

His  beloved  and  only  wife, 

Daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Q,uincy)  Smith. 

In  every  relation  of  life  a  pattern 

Of  filial,  conjugal,  maternal,  and  social  virtue. 

Born  November  11,  1744, 

Deceased  28  October,  1818, 

Aged  74. 

Married  25  October,  1764. 

During  an  union  of  more  than  half  a  century 

They  survived,  in  harmony  of  sentiment,  principle  and  affection, 

The  tempests  of  civil  commotion  : 

Meeting  undaunted  and  surmounting 

The  terrors  and  trials  of  that  revolution, 

Which  secured  the  freedom  of  their  country  ; 

Improved  the  condition  of  their  times  ; 

And  brightened  the  prospects  of  futurity 

To  the  race  of  man  upon  earth. 

PILGRIM, 

From  lives  thus  spent  thy  earthly  duties  learn  ; 

From  fancy's  dreams  to  active  virtue  turn : 

Let  freedom,  friendship,  faith,  thy  soub  engage, 

And  serve,  like  them,  thy  country  and  thy  age.        J.  Q,.  A. 


• 


OLIVER   ELLSWORTH. 

No  country  has  been  so  distinguished  as  our  own  by  the  number 
and  prominence  of  its  self-made  men.  In  science,  they  have  been 
her  pioneers,  disarming  even  the  lightning  of  its  terror;  in  prosperity, 
they  have  been  the  guardians  of  her  dearest  treasures  ;  in  the  hour 
of  danger  they  have  gathered,  as  the  Macedonian  phalanx,  to  her 
side. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  not  born  in  obscurity,  or  compelled 
to  struggle  with  poverty  and  ignorance  on  his  passage  to  renown. 
Yet  he  was  strictly  of  that  number  who,  in  the  "  baptism  of  fame, 
have  given  themselves  their  own  name  ;"  and  for  whom  industry  and 
internal  resource  have  stood  in  the  place  of  parentage  and  of  patri- 
mony. 

He  sprang,  as  have  many  of  our  mightiest  and  noblest,  from  the 
hardy  yeomanry  of  New  England.  If  he  was  indebted  to  education 
for  his  greatness,  he  was  still  more  indebted  to  patient  labor  ;  as  the 
firmly-rooted  oak  owes  less  to  culture,  than  to  its  power  of  enduring 
those  changes  of  climate  which  roughen  its  trunk  but  reveal  its  energy. 

OLIVER  ELLSWORTH  was  born  in  Windsor,  one  of  the  most  ancient- 
ly settled  towns  in  Connecticut,  on  the  29th  of  April,  1745,  of  respect- 
able parents,  inured  to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  From  them  he  deri  v- 
ed  the  virtues  of  industry,  economy,  and  integrity,  which  were  incorpo- 
rated with  the  elements  of  his  character.  He  derived  also  physical  bene- 
fits from  a  system  of  nurture  which  rejected  all  luxurious  indulgence. 
Of  him  it  might  be  said,  as  it  was  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  that  "  his 
health  was  invigorated  by  the  athletic  exercises  to  which  his  father 
inured  him."  Perhaps,  also,  from  some  sternness  of  parental  disci- 
pline, which  was  often  a  feature  of  these  early  times,  his  mind  drew  a 
portion  of  its  Spartan  firmness.  His  boyhood  was  so  divided  between 
agricultural  toils  and  classical  studies,  as  to  impress  the  invaluable  les- 
sons of  the  worth  of  time  and  the  necessity  of  application. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  Yale  College,  whence  he  after- 
wards removed  to  Princeton,  and  received  there  his  honorary  degree 
at  the  completion  of  his  twenty-first  year,  it  is  not  known  that  his 
academic  course  exhibited  any  remarkable  superiority.  Precocity  was 
not  a  feature  of  his  mind.  The  slow  ripening  of  its  powers  betokened 
a  deep  root  and  long-continued  harvest. 

After  terminating  his  collegiate  studies,  he  engaged  in  the  instruc- 
tion of  youth,  that  most  honorable  employment  to  which  so  many  of 
our  greatest  men  have  for  a  time  devoted  themselves.  Though  sur- 
rounded by  gay  companions,  he  was  enabled  to  resist  their  influence, 
and  make  choice  of  that  piety  which  was  to  be  his  guide  on  the  slip- 
pery heights  of  honor,  and  his  strength  amid  the  feebleness  of  hoary 
hairs.  It  laid  its  strong  foundation  at  that  momentous  period  when 
youth  is  most  tempted  to  contend  with  the  restrictions  of  morality  and 
to  forget  God.  His  clear-sighted  and  majestic  mind  acknowledged 
the  truth  of  revelation,  and  humbled  itself  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  with 
child-like  simplicity.  His  public  profession  of  a  Christian's  faith, 
made  when  religion  was  less  fashionable  than  it  is  at  present,  gave 
proof  of  that  fearless  integrity  in  duty  which  is  an  element  of  true 
greatness.  He  had  a  predilection  for  Theology,  and  made  respectable 
progress  in  its  preparatory  studies ;  but  ultimately  decided  on  the  pro- 
fession of  law. 

His  marriage  was  early  in  life,  and  the  result  of  mutual  attachment. 
The  lady,  who  was  of  the  highly-respected  family  of  the  "V\  olcotts, 
by  her  unwearied  and  judicious  attention  to  domestic  care,  left  his 
mind  at  liberty  for  higher  departments.  They  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  six  of  whom  still  survive,  connected  with  the  aristocra- 
cy of  their  native  State. 

At  the  commencement  of  his  household  establishment,  he  found  him- 
self thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  A  farm  of  wild  land  in  the  pa- 
rish of  Wintonbury,  and  an  axe,  were  the  gifts  of  his  father,  with  the 
understanding  that  they  completed  his  full  moiety  of  the  paternal  es- 
tate. But  as  the  shield  given  by  the  Spartan  mothers  to  their  sons, 
with  the  charge,  "  return  with  it  or  return  upon  it,"  enkindled  an  in- 
domitable courage ;  so  the  consciousness  of  entire  self-dependence 
awoke  a  spirit  which  was  to  conquer  all  obstacles.  In  those  rough 
preliminary  toils,  by  which  land  is  cleared  and  subjected  to  cultiva- 
tion, he  performed  the  service  of  a  day-laborer,  and  at  night  pursued 
those  studies  by  which  his  future  eminence  was  to  be  attained.  The 
materials  with  which  the  fences  of  his  farm  were  to  be  constructed  he 
wrought  with  his  own  hands  from  the  trees  that  grew  upon  it,  nor  re- 


OLIVER  ELLSWORTH. 

mitted  this  branch  of  labor  until  it  was  completely  enclosed.  With 
hands  swollen  by  unaccustomed  effort,  and  painful  from  the  wounds 
of  thorns  with  which  he  contended,  he  came  every  morning  during 
the  session  of  the  courts,  to  Hartford,  returning  at  night  to  take  charge 
of  his  cattle,  and  to  sustain  the  imperative  duties  of  an  agriculturist. 
In  this  union  of  differing  and  difficult  professions  he  evinced  great 
mental  vigor  and  physical  endurance.  It  is  impossible  to  view  the 
future  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  at  this  period  of  his  existence 
without  peculiar  and  touching  interest.  At  dawn,  like  Cincinnatus, 
at  his  plough,  and  at  eve  laying  his  hand  on  the  mighty  fabric  of  ju- 
risprudence, as  if,  like  the  chosen  people,  he  followed  the  "  pillar  of 
cloud  by  day  and  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night." 

It  would  seem  that  no  ambition  of  distinction  had  at  this  time  sti- 
mulated his  career.  Perhaps  his  mind  was  not  fully  aware  of  its  own 
Herculean  powers.  Its  moving  principle  had  been  the  simple  con- 
sciousness of  duty, — a  desire  to  provide  for  a  growing  family,  and  to 
be  found  faithful  in  the  stewardship  of  entrusted  time  and  talents. 

During  a  period  of  extreme  exertion,  while  sustaining  a  difficult 
cause  at  the  bar  in  Hartford,  he  received  a  new  incentive — the  voice  of 
praise.  "  Who  is  that  young  man?  He  speaks  well."  These  were 
the  words  of  a  stranger.  They  sank  into  his  heart.  As  he  went 
homeward,  he  ruminated  upon  them.  "  He  speaks  well?  It  was  a 
new  idea  to  him.  Vanity  was  not  inherent  to  an  intellect  of  his  order, 
but  the  sweetness  of  merited  praise  came  when  it  began  to  be  needed 
as  an  encouragement  on  its  arduous  course.  Of  this  incident  he  spoke, 
even  in  his  latest  years,  to  his  children.  It  would  be  interesting,  were 
it  possible  to  discover  who  thus  touched  with  electric  spark  that  mighty 
mind,  and  aided  in  developing  its  latent  force. 

The  increase  of  his  business  imposed  the  necessity  of  a  removal  to 
Hartford.  There  he  received  the  lucrative  office  of  States'  attorney,  and 
was  yearly  elected  representative  to  the  general  assembly.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  he  took  firm  ground  in  favor 
of  the  independence  of  the  country.  He  even  went  out  with  the  mili- 
tia of  the  county  when  incursions  were  made  by  the  enemy  into  his 
native  State.  This  he  did,  not  from  any  complacency  in  military 
life  but  to  show  his  approbation  of  the  cause  for  which  resistance  was 
hazarded.  In  1777  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  Congress  ;  in  1784 
a  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Connecticut ;  and  in  1789  a  senator 
of  the\Jnited  States,  under  their  new  confederation.  His  talents  as  a 
man,  and  his  learning  as  a  jurist,  were  now  put  in  strict  requisition 
for  the  public  good.  The  system  of  policy  which  he  advocated  was 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

dignified  and  consistent.  Avoidance  of  useless  expenditure,  prompt 
execution  of  the  laws,  an  open  and  severe  simplicity,  were  its  distin- 
guishing features.  The  regimen  that  promotes  the  health  of  repub- 
lics was  well  understood  by  him.  It  was  the  same  which,  as  an  indi- 
vidual, he  had  pursued  with  safety  and  success. 

His  mind  had  the  capacity  of  intense  and  stern  application.  Never 
was  this  more  fully  tested  than  during  those  seven  years  when  he  filled 
a  seat  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States.  So  deep  was  his  love  of 
country,  that  when  any  important  point,  involving  her  interests,  was 
in  discussion,  he  has  been  known  to  pass  the  whole  night  traversing 
his  chamber,  and  repelling  sleep,  until  he  had  possessed  himself  of  the 
subject  in  all  its  bearings.  With  such  forgetful  ness  of  self  did  he  tax 
his  energies,  that  after  the  termination  of  such  questions  he  would  be 
left  exhausted,  as  after  some  extreme  physical  exertion. 

It  was  remarked,  that  from  these  labors  in  the  senate  his  mind  evi- 
dently gained  breadth  and  expansion.  As  the  period  of  his  continu- 
ance there  extended  beyond  his  fiftieth  year,  an  argument  is  thus  ob- 
tained to  disprove  the  theory  that  rigidity  settles  upon  intellect  as  upon 
the  muscles,  and  that  age  may  limit  its  improvement  as  easily  as  to 
chain  the  limbs  from  their  elastic  play. 

In  the  spring  of  1796  he  received  the  appointment  of  Chief  Justice 
of  the  United  States.  It  was  the  universal  suffrage  of  the  nation  that 
there  was  in  him  a  fitness  for  the  high  honor  of  a  place  in  that  body, 
which,  like  the  ancient  Ephori,  lifted  the  supremacy  of  the  law  above 
all  other  symbols  of  earthly  majesty.  In  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
this  elevated  station  he  displayed  an  immoveable  patience,  and  a  judg- 
ment of  men  and  things  matured  by  long  experience.  His  clear  con- 
ceptions of  right  and  wrong  were  never  confused  by  a  heated  imagi- 
nation or  morbid  feelings.  He  was  slow  in  arriving  at  the  truth,  but 
in  his  decisions  inflexible.  His  impartiality  won  the  confidence  of  all ; 
and  throughout  his  whole  judicial  career,  his  integrity  remained  un- 
tarnished and  above  suspicion. 

It  was  with  reluctance  that  the  nation  saw  him  about  to  be  with- 
drawn from  a  post  where  she  was  hourly  deriving  benefits  from  his 
wisdom,  to  assume  the  office  of  ambassador  to  France.  But  a  crisis 
in  our  political  intercourse  with  that  kingdom,  involving  danger  of 
hostilities,  required  peculiar  skill  in  negotiation,  and  he  was  appointed, 
in  conjunction  with  Governor  Davie  of  North  Carolina,  and  the  Hon. 
William  V.  Murray,  then  resident  minister  at  the  Hague.  This  was 
a  nomination  which  he  would  not  have  desired  ;  and  though  his  pa- 
triotism induced  him  to  acquiesce,  it  was  at  an  expense  of  health  from 


OLIVER  ELLSWORTH. 

which  he  never  folly  recovered.  Physical  infirmities,  which  before  his 
departure  had  revealed  themselves,  became  confirmed  by  the  hardships 
of  a  protracted  voyage  and  the  fatigues  of  foreign  travel,  into  incura- 
ble diseases. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  the  year  1799  that  he  took  passage  to  Europe. 
He  found  the  government  of  France,  then  under  the  consulship  of 
Bonaparte,  unsettled  and  fluctuating.  Duplicity  and  intrigue  gave 
coloring  to  its  diplomacy.  His  upright  mind,  severe  in  rectitude, 
found  there  little  congeniality.  Its  earnestness  for  the  right,  and  its 
strict  morality,  were  even  marked  as  traits  of  imbecility,  by  a  cabinet 
whose  pole-star  was  expediency. 

After  concluding  the  business  entrusted  to  him,  he  passed  over  into 
England,  and  experienced  high  gratification  from  a  view  of  that  glo- 
rious island,  and  an  acquaintance  with  its  illustrious  men.  He  was 
accompanied  on  his  travels  in  Europe  by  his  eldest  son,  a  promising 
youth,  whose  unremitting  devotion  to  his  collegiate  studies  had  se- 
riously impaired  his  health.  It  was  diflicult,  even  by  the  excitement 
and  novelty  of  foreign  cities,  to  divert  his  attention  from  books.  He 
received,  therefore,  but  slight  benefit  from  change  of  scene  ;  and  his 
death,  which  took  place  soon  after  his  return,  while  making  trial  of 
the  more  genial  climate  of  the  West  Indies,  was  a  deep  affliction  to  the 
affectionate  father. 

An  incident  connected  with  his  return  from  Europe,  shows  the  place 
that  religion  habitually  held  in  his  soul.  He  had  resigned  the  office 
of  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  that  he  might  devote  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  to  that  retirement  and  domestic  tranquillity  from  which 
he  had  been  so  long  an  exile.  His  arrival  at  his  home  was  therefore 
anticipated  with  an  eagerness  proportioned  to  his  long  absence,  and  to 
the  cheering  hope  of  retaining  him  there.  At  his  beautiful  mansion  in 
Windsor  all  was  joyful  expectancy.  His  children  listened  to  the  echo 
of  every  approaching  wheel,  and  saddened  at  perceiving  that  it  had 
not  brought  their  father.  At  length  his  own  carriage  was -indeed  des- 
cried. The  whole  family  group  hastened  forth  to  welcome  him. 
Wife,  and  son,  and  daughter,  and  servant  born  in  his  house,  were 
there.  It  was  a  thrilling  moment  The  profound  statesman,  whose 
wealth  and  fame  had  been  purchased  by  no  sacrifice  of  virtue,  wea- 
ried with  those  services  which  had  rendered  his  name  illustrious, 
was  coming  to  share  the  repose  of  his  native  shades,  and  to  be  parted 
from  them  no  more.  He  alighted  from  his  carriage.  But  he  spoko 
not  to  his  wife.  H?  returned  not  the  embrace  of  his  children.  He 
glanced  not  even  at  his  twin  boys,  the  youngest  of  that  beloved  circle. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

Leaning  over  his  gate,  and  covering  his  face,  he  first  silently  breathed 
a  prayer  of  gratitude  to  that  Being  who  gave  him  once  more  to  see  his 
habitation  in  safety  and  in  peace.  He  took  not  the  full  cup  of  joy  that 
was  pressed  to  his  lips  until  it  had  been  hallowed  by  devotion,  until 
he  had  humbly,  yet  openly,  acknowledged  the  God  who  had  "  led  him 
all  his  life  long,  to  that  day. 

His  resolution  to  abstain  from  all  public  service  in  future,  he  found 
it  impossible  perfectly  to  preserve.  The  urgent  solicitations  of  the 
people,  combining  with  a  patriotism  which  never  slumbered,  induced 
him,  in  1802,  to  accept  the  office  of  member  of  the  Council  of  Con- 
necticut, in  which  he  continued  till  his  death.  In  1807  he  received 
the  appointment  of  Chief  Justice  of  his  native  State  ;  but  his  increas- 
ing infirmities  led  him  to  decline  the  offered  honor. 

The  leisure  to  which  he  had  been  for  many  years  a  stranger,  ena- 
bled him  to  cultivate  domestic  enjoyment,  and  to  recur,  as  an  occasion- 
al amusement,  to  agricultural  occupation.  His  ardent  affections  found 
delight  in  the  society  of  his  children.  The  love  of  children  had  al- 
ways been  one  of  his  prominent  traits  of  character.  From  the  chi- 
canery and  selfishness  of  mankind,  he  turned  with  renewed  pleasure 
to  their  simplicity.  It  was  remarked  of  him  in  early  life,  that  when 
deeply  engaged  in  those  absorbing  studies  which  afterwards  won  for 
him  fortune  and  renown,  he  daily  spent  some  time  in  caressing  his 
neighbor's  children.  He  even  seemed  disappointed  when  any  circum- 
stance prevented  this  accustomed  intercourse.  Though  there  were 
long  periods  in  which  he  was  compelled  to  seclude  himself  from  the 
pleasures  of  the  domestic  circle,  yet  he  would  sometimes  permit  his 
own  little  ones  to  enter  his  study  when  occupied  in  the  severest  toils 
of  thought,  and  draw  pictures  for  their  amusement.  "  I  like  to  indulge 
them  in  this  way,"  he  observed  ;  "  and  when  it  is  necessary  to  deny 
them,  I  send  them  to  their  mother." 

As  they  advanced  in  age,  their  improvement,  and  the  formation  of 
their  habits,  were  felt  by  him  in  their  full  importance.  The  incalcu- 
lable worth  of  time,  the  duty  of  industry,  the  folly  of  extravagance,  the 
necessity  of  rectitude  and  piety,  were  impressed  both  by  precept  and 
example.  In  his  letters,  when  absent  from  them,  his  rules  for  conduct 
and  principle  were  expressed  with  striking  adaptation  to  their  differ- 
ence of  age  or  character.  His  family  letters,  notwithstanding  the  mag- 
nitude and  pressure  of  public  business,  were  exhibitions  of  correct  and 
beautiful  chirography.  In  one  of  these,  addressed  to  his  wife,  while 
a  senator  in  the  first  Congress  convened  at  New- York,  in  1789,  he 
says  : — 


OLIVER  ELLSWORTH. 

"  The  family  in  which  I  live  have  no  white  children.  But  I  often 
amuse  myself  with  a  colored  one  about  the  size  of  our  little  daughter, 
who  peeps  into  my  door  now  and  then,  with  a  long  story,  which  I 
cannot  more  than  half  understand.  Our  two  sons  I  sometimes  fancy 
that  I  pick  out  among  the  little  boys  playing  at  marbles  in  the  street. 
Our  eldest  daughter  is,  I  trust,  alternately  employed,  between  her  book 
and  her  wheel.  You  must  teach  her  what  is  useful,  the  world  will 
teach  her  enough  of  what  is  not.  The  nameless  little  one  I  am  hardly 
enough  acquainted  with  to  have  much  idea  of;  yet  I  think  she  oc- 
cupies a  corner  of  my  heart,  especially  when  I  consider  her  at  your 
breast." 

Alluding  to  the  death  of  an  infant,  several  years  after  the  event  had 
taken  place,  he  says,  in  a  letter  to  his  wife  : — "  He  who  bore  your 
countenance  and«my  name — the  world  has  never  been  the  same  to 
me  since  his  death." 

These  traits  of  household  tenderness  are  peculiarly  delightful  in 
great  men.  Perhaps  we  unconsciously  associate  with  them  some  idea 
of  sternness,  and  are  cheered  when  we  find  them  linked  to  our  common 
nature  by  its  gentler  sympathies.  In  tracing  to  their  familiar  sources 
the  warm  current  of  his  affections,  we  find  that  neither  the  toils  of  an 
absorbing  profession,  the  tumults  of  political  life,  nor  the  cares  of 
greatness,  made  him  insensible  to  the  enjoyments  of  the  fireside,  in- 
different to  the  innocent  sports  of  infancy,  or  regardless  of  the  humble 
happiness  of  childhood. 

His  long  intercourse  with  men  of  education  and  rank  created  no 
contempt  for  the  rustic  society  and  conversation  of  a  retired  country 
village.  He  knew  how  to  demean  himself  to  men  of  low  degree.  His 
was  that  simple  moral  greatness,  which  never  fears  to  demean  itself  by 
association  with  inferiors.  He  especially  pitied  those  in  a  state  of  ser- 
vitude. He  treated  them  with  a  kindness  and  sympathy  that  won 
their  confidence  without  diminishing  their  respect.  He  felt  that  in  a 
republic  the  grades  of  distinction  ought  not  to  be  jealously  defined. 
His  dignity  had  no  need  of  the  petty  props  of  haughtiness  and  reserve. 

Mingled  with  his  high  intellectual  endowments,  was  a  clear  and 
direct  common  sense.  This  kept  him  from  mistake  in  the  every-day 
affairs  of  life,  where  sometimes  the  greatest  men  have  been  so  much 
at  a  loss,  as  to  subject  themselves  to  the  scoffs  of  the  vulgar,  and  even 
to  bring  greatness  into  disrepute  among  the  multitude.  He  was  tho- 
roughly and  practically  acquainted  with  many  of  those  details  which 
wealth  seldom  understands  and  often  despises.  This  was  remarked 
with  wonder  during  his  tour  through  the  southern  States.  There,  in 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  court-yard  of  a  public  house,  when  the  stage-coach  had  sustained 
same  injury,  the  inquiry  was  once  made,  "  Who  is  that  gentleman 
who  understands  every  thing,  and  is  eloquent  about  a  coach-wheel  ?  " 
"  The  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,"  was  the  reply. 

His  example  before  his  household  was  calculated  to  impress  the  im- 
portance of  that  religion  which  he  revered  and  loved.  Guests  occa- 
sionally present  at  their  morning  and  evening  devotions,  were  solem- 
nized by  the  fervor  and  sublimity  of  his  prayers.  He  inculcated  on 
all  under  his  roof  a  reverence  for  the  sabbath  ;  and  was  in  the  habit 
of  gathering  them  around  him,  and  reading  them  a  sermon,  in  addition 
to  the  public  worship  of  the  day.  During  the  changes  of  an  eventful 
life,  the  fluctuations  of  revolution,  the  interruptions  incidental  to  high 
office,  the  gaiety  of  the  court  of  France,  and  the  desultory  habits  im- 
posed by  foreign  travel,  he  never  overlooked  the  sacred  obligation  of 
the  sabbath,  or  shunned  to  give  infidelity  a  "  reason  for  the  hope  that 
was  in  him." 

As  he  approached  the  close  of  life,  the  Inspired  Volume,  which  had 
from  youth  been  his  guide  and  counsellor,  became  more  and  more 
dear.  Like  a  new  book,  it  revealed  to  him  unknown  treasures.  It 
was  both  affecting  and  sublime,  to  see  one  who  had  attained  such  emi- 
nence in  the  knowledge  of  human  laws,  sitting  at  the  feet  of  the  Su- 
preme Lawgiver  with  the  docility  of  a  child.  Day  and  night,  while 
he  stood  on  the  verge  of  a  higher  existence,  did  his  soul,  disengaging 
itself  from  earthly  things,  search  the  scriptures  of  truth  with  solemnity 
and  delight.  His  last  illness  was  sustained  with  the  fortitude  of  a 
Christian ;  and  his  death  took  place  on  the  26th  of  November,  1807, 
in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age. 

In  contemplating  his  elevated  character,  we  are  struck  with  the 
prominence  of  high  and  inflexible  rectitude,  and  of  that  patriotism 
which,  forgetful  of  self,  firmly  endured  toil  and  sustained  privation. 
What  was  said  of  his  excellent  friend,  Roger  Sherman,  might  with 
equal  propriety  be  affirmed  of  him — that  his  "  actions,  whether  public 
or  private,  were  attended  by  the  secret  interrogatory,  what  course  is 
right  ?  and  that  he  never  once  propounded  to  himself  the  question, 
will  it  be  popular  ?  "  He  has  also  been  heard  to  assert,  that  in  youth 
he  took  Sherman  for  his  model ;  and  the  elder  President  Adams  re- 
marked, in  his  sententious  manner,  that  "  this  was  praise  enough  for 
both"  Let  it  also  be  added,  as  a  part  of  the  fame  of  Judge  ELLS- 
WORTH, that  his  pure  principles,  and  the  wisdom  which  regulated  his 
political  course,  won  for  him  both  the  praise  and  friendship  of  Wash- 
ington. 


OLIVER  ELLSWORTH. 

The  structure  of  his  mind  was  lofty  and  well-balanced.  His  elo- 
quence rested  on  the  basis  of  the  reasoning  powers.  It  aimed  not  to 
dazzle,  but  to  convince.  It  has  been  pronounced  deficient  in  the  graces 
of  imagination.  But  the  devotion  with  which  he  embraced  that  ma- 
jestic and  severe  science,  which  takes  cognizance  of  man  in  his  capa- 
city of  «  impeding  or  being  impeded  ;  "  which  demands  dexterity  to  un- 
twist thespider-web  of  invention,  strength  to  strike  and  wisdom  to  arrest 
those  ideas  of  justice  which  come  "  only  as  the  lightning  flash  amid 
the  storm  of  human  passions,"  scarcely  comports  with  the  play  of  fan- 
cy or  the  luxury  of  leisure.  The  department  of  imagination  was 
therefore  in  him  uncultivated.  Thought,  accustomed,  like  the  laborer, 
to  split  the  "  unwedgeable  and  knotty  oak."  could  not  stoop  to  trim 
the  vine  or  to  train  the  flower.  In  his  mind  the  sentiment  of  the  beau- 
tiful was  overpowered  by  combinations  derived  from  the  useful  and 
the  just.  But  the  truth  that  philosophy  seeks,  and  the  faith  that  Chris- 
tianity imposes,  held  ever  their  high  places  in  his  soul. 

We  perceive  in  him  a  predominance  of  those  virtues  which  give 
permanence  to  republics — indefatigable  industry,  opposition  to  luxury 
and  extravagance,  contempt  of  show  and  pretension,  inflexible  inte- 
grity, respect  for  men  of  low  degree,  love  of  country,  and  fear  of  God. 
His  was  the  intellectual  and  moral  power  that  would  have  arrested 
heterogeneous  and  fluctuating  particles,  and  settled  them  into  order 
and  durability. 

Educate  a  race  with  his  principles  and  habits,  and  let  them  de- 
termine the  question,  whether  a  republic  is  a  form  of  government  in- 
trinsically and  necessarily  perishable. 

The  name  of  OLIVER  ELLSWORTH,  by  every  succeeding  genera- 
tion in  this  land  of  freedom,  should  be  held  venerable  and  dear  ;  cou- 
pled with  the  memory  of  our  early  liberties,  and  with  the  virtues  that 
preserve  them. 

It  will  not  be  inapposite  to  close  this  brief  sketch  with  the  inscrip 
tion  on  his  monument,  from  the  pen  of  his  valued  friend,  the  late 
Chauncey  Goodrich,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  • 

To  the  Memory  of 

OLTVER  ELLSWORTH,  LL.D. 

An  assistant  in  the  Council,  and 

a  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court 

of  the  State  of  Connecticut ; 

A  member  of  the  Convention  which  formed, 

and  of  the  State  Convention  of  Connecticut  which  adopted 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  : 

Senator,  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  • 

One  of  the  Envoys  Extraordinary,  and 

Ministers  Plenipotentiary, 

who  made  the  Convention  of  1801, 

between  the  United  States  and  the  French  Republic. 

Amiable  and  exemplary 
in  all  the  relations  of  the  domestic,  social,  and  Christian  character. 

Pre-eminently  useful 
in  all  the  elevated  offices  he  sustained  ; 

Whose  great  talents, 

under  the  guidance  of  inflexible  integrity, 
consummate  wisdom, 
and  enlightened  zeal, 

employed  in  his  country's  cause  and  service, 
placed  him  among  the  first  of  the  illustrious  statesmen 

who  achieved  the  Independence, 
and  established  the  Government  of  the  American  Republic ; 

reflecting  lustre 
on  the  character  of  his  native  State, 

and  of  the  United  States. 
Born  at  Windsor,  on  the  29th  of  April,  1745 : 

and  there  died. 

on  the  26th  of  November,  1807. 

Conjugal  affection  and  filial  piety 

have  erected  this  monument. 


EGBERT   MORRIS, 

FEW  names  are  to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  the  Revolution  more 
worthy  of  grateful  remembrance  than  that  of  the  Great  Financier. 
The  zeal,  and  skill,  and  sleepless  vigilance  of  Washington  would  have 
been  exerted  in  vain  ;  the  flame  of  patriotism,  which  glowed  far  and 
wide  in  the  bosoms  of  thousands  who  where  panting  for  freedom,  would 
have  been  kindled  in  vain,  had  it  not  been  for  the  financial  ability  and 
extensive  credit  of  ROBERT  MORRIS.  The  sword  of -a  nation  must 
soon  rest  idly  in  the  scabbard  when  the  national  purse  is  empty. 

Some  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  say,  that  his  extraordinary 
powers  in  the  department  of  finance,  the  extent  of  his  influence  in 
the  commercial  relations  of  this  nation  in  its  earliest  time  of  trial,  and 
his  unremitted  devotion  to  the  duties  entrusted  to  him,  entitle  him  to 
honors  second  only  to  Washington  himself.  We  are,  however,  not 
required  to  fix  the  precise  degree  of  merit  attached  to  the  various  in- 
dividuals who  lent  their  powerful  aid  in  various  ways  to  the  general 
cause.  Skill  and  valor  in  the  field  and  on  the  ocean,  eloquence  in  the 
legislative  hall  or  the  popular  assembly,  the  influence  of  the  pen  and 
of  the  press,  and  the  creation  and  management  of  funds  or  credit,  are 
all  essential  to  success  in  a  contest  of  nations.  To  the  warriors,  the 
orators,  and  the  writers  of  the  revolutionary  period,  we  have  devoted 
a  large  portion  of  our  work  ;  we  should  still  consider  it  imperfect  with- 
out a  respectful  notice  of  the  man,  whose  skilful  efibrts  supplied  the 
funds  necessary  to  give  effect  to  the  exertions  of  his  contemporaries. 

ROBERT  MORRIS  was  born  at  Liverpool,  England,  on  the  20th  of 
January,  (O.  S.)  1733,  and  was  brought  into  this  country  by  his  fa- 
ther when  about  thirteen  years  of  age.  His  education  was  continued 
under  the  instruction  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gordon,  of  Maryland,  for  about 
two  years,  when  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  gun  from  a  ship  in  the 
Delaware  deprived  his  father  of  life,  and  left  him  an  orphan  in  a 
strange  land.  His  education,  therefore,  went  no  farther  than  to  qualify 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

him  for  business.  Nature  had  endowed  him  liberally  with  powers  of 
mind,  and  his  disposition  and  manners  had  endeared  him  to  those 
who  knew  him.  He  was  not,  therefore,  without  friends  to  aid  him  in 
his  youthful  career.  Soon  after  the  death  of  his  father  he  was  re- 
ceived into  the  counting-house  of  Mr.  Charles  Willing,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished merchant  at  that  time  in  Philadelphia.  When  he  became 
of  age  he  was  established  in  business  with  his  partner's  son,  Thomas 
Willing,  and  embarked  in  an  extensive  and  profitable  West  India 
trade.  Mr.  MORRIS  made  several  voyages  as  supercargo  in  the  ships 
belonging  to  the  company,  in  one  of  which  he  was  made  a  prisoner 
by  the  French,  and  for  some  time  was  kept  in  close  confinement.  He 
was,  however,  liberated  ;  and  by  exercising  his  ingenuity  in  repairing 
a  watch,  obtained  means  to  return  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  resumed 
his  station.  Under  his  active  superintendance,  the  firm  of  Willing 
and  Morris  rapidly  attained  the  summit  of  commercial  reputation. 
Their  foreign  business  was  very  extensive,  and  their  punctuality  and 
integrity  established  them  in  the  confidence  and  credit  of  the  world. 
To  Mr.  MORRIS  business  was  a  pleasure,  yet  the  regulations  and  or- 
der of  his  counting-house  enabled  him  to  enjoy  the  society  of  his 
friends,  to  whom  he  attached  himself  with  all  the  ardor  of  a  generous- 
and  ingenuous  mind. 

Mr.  MORRIS,  about  the  age  of  thirty-six,  married  the  sister  of  the 
the  late  Bishop  White.  A  lady  who  has  been  described  as  "  elegant, 
accomplished,  and  rich,  and  well  qualified  to  carry  the  felicity  of  con- 
nubial life  to  its  highest  perfection." 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1775  his  public  life  commenced.  He  was 
then  sent  to  Congress  as  a  member  from  Pennsylvania,  and  was  im- 
mediately engaged  on  financial  arrangements  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance. When  Congress  removed  to  Baltimore  in  1776,  Mr.  MOR- 
RIS was  left  at  Philadelphia  with  Messrs.  Clymer  and  Walton,  to  re- 
main as  long  as  circumstances  would  permit,  and  transact  such  bu- 
siness as  required  attention  in  that  city. 

At  this  crisis  General  Washington  was  surrounded  by  secret  foes, 
and  destitute  of  the  means  of  detecting  them,  or  of  getting  possession  of 
the  enemy's  designs,  from  the  want  of  hard  money  ;  nor  could  he  keep 
the  troops  which  formed  a  considerable  part  of  his  army,  and  whose 
time  of  service  had  expired,  without  the  promise  of  a  bounty,  which 
he  had  not  the  means  to  advance.  Mr.  MORRIS  borrowed  the  neces- 
sary amount  on  his  own  note,  and  the  receipt  of  it  was  acknowledged 
by  the  General  on  the  1st  of  January,  1777. 

The  situation  of  General  Greene,  in  South  Carolina,  was  equally 


ROBERT  MORRIS. 

critical,  his  distresses  rendering  it  scarcely  possible  to  keep  the  troops 
together,  when  a  gentleman  of  that  State  advanced  the  necessary 
sums,  and  enabled  him  to  avert  the  danger.  When  General  Greene  re- 
turned to  Philadelphia,  and  repaired  to  the  office  of  finance  to  settle  his 
accounts  after  the  war  had  terminated,  he  found  that  he  had  been  re- 
lieved under  the  direction  of  Mr.  MORRIS.  He  felt  hurt,  at  first,  at 
the  apparent  want  of  confidence  in  him ;  but  on  reflection,  he  told  Mr. 
MORRIS  he  had  never  done  a  wiser  thing ;  "  For,"  said  he,  "  on  other 
occasions  I  was  sufficiently  distressed  to  have  warranted  my  drawing 
on  you,  had  I  known  that  1  might  have  done  so,  and  I  should  have 
availed  myself  of  the  privilege."  Mr.  MORRIS  informed  him,  that 
even  as  matters  had  been  conducted,  the  southern  expedition  had 
gone  nearer  than  the  operations  in  any  other  quarter,  to  the  arrest  of 
his  commercial  business. 

When  Washington  suddenly  abandoned  the  banks  of  the  Hudson 
to  co-operate  with  Count  de  Grasse  in  Virginia,  from  seventy  to  eighty 
pieces  of  battering  cannon,  and  one  hundred  of  field  artillery,  were 
completely  fitted  and  furnished  with  attirail  and  ammunition,  and  for- 
warded in  three  or  four  weeks,  to  the  great  honor  of  the  officers  and 
men  employed  in  the  service.  All  this,  together  with  the  expense  of 
provisions  and  pay  for  the  troops,  was  accomplished  on  the  personal 
credit  of  ROBERT  MORRIS,  who  issued  his  notes  to  the  amount  of  one 
million  four  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  were  finally  all  paid. 
There  was  no  money  in  the  chest  of  the  war  office  nor  in  the  Trea- 
sury ;  and  the  expedition  which  brought  the  war  to  a  close  by  the  cap- 
ture of  Corn  wall  is,  never  could  have  been  effected  had  not  Mr.  MOR- 
RIS'S credit  and  management  supplied  the  funds  necessary  to  give  ef- 
fect to  exertion. 

In  1781  the  office  of  Financier  was  established  by  resolution  of 
Congress,  and  Mr.  MORRIS  was  unanimously  elected  Superintendant. 
One  of  the  first  acts  of  his  financial  government  was,  the  proposition  to 
Congress  of  his  plan  for  the  establishment  of  the  Bank  of  North 
America,  which  was  forthwith  chartered,  and  opened  in  January,  1782. 
At  that  time  the  States  were  half  a  million  of  dollars  in  debt  on  the 
taxes  of  the  year,  which  had  been  raised  by  anticipation  on  that  sys- 
tem of  credit  which  Mr.  MORRIS  had  created:  and  but  for  this  esta- 
blishment, his  plans  must  have  been  entirely  frustrated. 

On  his  retirement  from  office,  it  was  affirmed  that  it  cost  Congress 
at  the  rate  of  eighteen  millions  of  dollars  a  year  to  carry  on  the  war 
till  he  was  chosen  financier,  and  then  it  cost  them  only  about  five 
millions. 


NATIONAL  PORTRAITS. 

He  continued  to  superintend  the  department  of  finance  until  the 
30th  of  September,  1784,  when  he  resigned,  and  immediately  issued 
an  advertisement,  pledging  himself  to  the  payment  of  all  his  outstand- 
ing notes  as  they  should  arrive  at  maturity. 

Fatigued  with  the  cares  of  public  service,  which,  from  his  first 
election  to  Congress,  had  engrossed  a  large  proportion  of  his  time,  he 
was  now  anxious  to  return  to  the  relaxation  of  private  life.  He  de- 
clined the  office  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  offered  to  him  by 
President  Washington  on  the  organization  of  the  federal  government 
under  the  present  Constitution,  and  recommended  Colonel  Hamilton, 
who  was  accordingly  appointed. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  the  propitious  fortunes  which  attended 
his  official  career  seemed  entirely  to  have  forsaken  him.  His  unre- 
mitted  attention  to  the  business  of  the  country  had  necessarily  been  at 
the  expense  of  his  private  affairs,  an/l  \c&s  productive  of  great  embar- 
rassments of  mind  and  circumstances.  His  latter  years  where  over- 
shadowed by  poverty.  He  had  sacrificed  himself  for  the  safety  of  the 
commonwealth. 

After  a  life  of  inestimable  value  to  the  country,  Mr.  MORRIS  died  at 
Philadelphia,  on  the  8th  of  May,  1806,  in  the  73d  year  of  his  age. 


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